In Germany, a type of vacation is gaining popularity that provides what even the most luxurious seaside hotel cannot: the now scarce solitude and peace.
Since the 1990s, an alternative to mass standard vacation has become increasingly popular – collective or individual spiritual tourism, yoga in an Indian «ashram», a monastic cloister, pilgrimage to holy sites... In everyday life, modern Europeans think of religion less and less, and as a result the church is losing its parishioners, but on vacation the opposite happens: people seek salvation in spirituality from stress, overload, and personal problems.
In 1990, according to official data, about 5,000 pilgrims walked the road to the tomb of the Apostle James in the Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela, the main part of which runs through northern Spain. Last year, 237,000 people were registered on this pilgrimage route.
Monasteries are also becoming increasingly popular with vacationers, where one can completely disconnect from office bustle and relieve symptoms of psychological and emotional exhaustion caused by the overloads of working life. As the news agency epd reports, the German Conference of Superiors of Monastic Orders and Congregations confirms that the majority of monastery guests are employed people holding positions associated with high workloads.
Peace and solitude: a vacation in the company of monks provides what has become a great deficit in everyday life. «For the first time in many years, I found myself in a place where I didn't need to talk, where no one asked or requested anything of me,» says manager Monika Peterait about her week-long vacation in one of the monasteries in southern Germany. In the monastery, according to her, there was no special program for vacationers. Everyone was left to themselves. Monika Peterait walked through the monastery garden, attended services, and talked with the nuns – that was essentially it. But this time gave her invaluable help, she says: she found peace and inner harmony.
The number of parishioners in Germany continues to decline. People are probably leaving the church because it seems too conservative to them, and the institution of the church outdated, believes tour operator Aline Sommer. The church, she points out, offers people doctrines and rules that do not combine well with modern reality. On her internet portal, she has been offering information about vacations in monasteries, yoga retreats, and pilgrimage trips since 2006. People's need for solitude and peace is growing, judging by the demand for «spiritual» tours. Moreover, such a vacation, Sommer believes, is a «giant chance» for the church: through tourism, people can turn back to religion.
According to the results of a survey conducted by the German Conference of Superiors of Monastic Orders and Congregations, just over half of all temporary guests in Catholic monasteries are Catholics. In choosing a monastery vacation, denomination plays no role. Monasteries are perceived by vacationers exclusively as a place to take a timeout. According to the survey, 42 percent of those vacationing within monastery walls seek to improve their physical and mental health there. 27 percent hope to gain a spiritual experience.
The current trend, believes Inken Richter-Rethwisch, a representative of the Evangelical Church in Germany for church and city relations, could result in the emergence of «temporary communities». In free time, a person is more receptive to topics such as spirituality and faith, and can think about the soul and the divine. Satisfying the growing demand for spiritual vacations, the Evangelical Church in Germany, in particular, supports two hundred churches located on popular cycling routes.
Such churches cater to the needs of travelers, offering them blessings, prayers, and shelter. But above all, emphasizes Inken Richter-Rethwisch, changes must occur in the communities themselves; parishioners and clergy must be prepared to warmly welcome travelers, as well as for possible worldview conflicts and issues of mutual understanding. Tourism, she says, could significantly refresh community life.
Monasteries are already reaping real benefits from spiritual vacations; many have managed to save their extensive estates from decline through tourist fees. The number of people who want to enter a monastery for good, especially women's monasteries, is decreasing year by year, so monasteries are experiencing great financial difficulties. «Expenses are rising at a dizzying speed,» says Bernhard Grunau, managing director of the Arenberg Monastery. Since 2003, the monastery has been offering a wellness and spiritual support program. Hiking tours, support for those who have lost loved ones, meditation courses, massage are among the monastery's guest program.