• Home

The Complete Pilgrim - Religious Travel Sites

Howard Kramer's, The Complete Pilgrim, Religious Travel Site

  • AMERICAN RELIGIOUS SITES
  • CHRISTIAN SITES
  • JEWISH SITES
  • CATHOLIC SITES
  • ISLAMIC SITES
  • INDIAN/HINDU SITES
  • HOLIDAY SITES
  • CASTLES
  • BATTLEFIELDS
  • MOUNTAINS
  • NATURE
  • WILDLIFE SITES
  • PHOTO GALLERIES
  • ARCHIVES
  • ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

CROOKED FOREST

July 30, 2016 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Poland The Crooked Forest in Poland is home to one of the biggest mysteries in nature: a grove of about four hundred pine trees with trunks bent and twisted at mind boggling angles.  The weirdest part of these unique trees is whether or not it is a natural phenomenon or if it was done purposely by man, and if the latter, what was the purpose?  Scientists and layman alike have … [Read more...]

BATTLE OF TANNENBERG (TANNENBERG BATTLEFIELD)

December 9, 2015 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Olsztyn, Poland (1914 AD) The Battle of Tannenberg was one of the few truly great German victories of the First World War.  More importantly for the Germans, it was one of the few battles of the war that did not also drain the victor of manpower through the loss of major casualties.  This was due in large part to the fact that it took place at the very outset of the conflict, … [Read more...]

BATTLE OF GRUNWALD (GRUNWALD BATTLEFIELD)

December 8, 2015 By Howard Kramer 2 Comments

Olsztyn, Poland (1410 AD) The Battle of Grunwald, also known as the First Battle of Tannenburg, was one of the largest and most famous medieval engagements to have taken place in Eastern Europe.  It pitted armies of an alliance between Poland and Lithuania against an invading army from Germany under the leadership of the Teutonic Knights.  It essentially ended the German … [Read more...]

CATHEDRAL OF VILNIUS

February 15, 2015 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Vilnius, Lithuania From the late Middle Ages until the early 17th century, the realm of Poland-Lithuania sprawed across Northeastern Europe.  Wedged between Orthodox Russia to the East and what would become Protestant Prussia and Scandinavia, this vast kingdom and its survivor states was, and remains, a bastion of Catholicism.  Its rulers became staunch defenders of … [Read more...]

CATHEDRAL OF WAWEL

February 15, 2015 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Krakow, Poland The Cathedral of Wawel is the great national Catholic shrine of Poland and one of the most important and historic Catholic churches in Northeastern Europe.  During the years of the Kingdom of Poland it was the country’s royal cathedral, with most of Poland’s kings coronated here and a large number buried here.  Its most famous burial is Stanislaus the Martyr, … [Read more...]

WAWEL CASTLE

December 19, 2014 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Krakow, Poland Wawel Castle is the historic, Romantic royal fortress of the medieval Kingdom of Poland.  It looms large in the memory of all Poles as the capital of a mighty empire that once stretched across much of northeastern Europe.  Renovated on numerous occasions, and still in official use between the two world wars, Wawel Castle has been home to one of Poland’s great … [Read more...]

TRAKAI ISLAND CASTLE

November 21, 2014 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Trakai, Lithuania Trakai Island Castle is possibly the most magnificent surviving fortress in the Baltic states of Northeastern Europe.  Also known as Little Marienburg because of its resemblance to Malbork Castle in Poland, it almost completely encompasses a large, rocky island in the middle of Lake Galve and is one of the most stunning waterfront castles anywhere.  It is the … [Read more...]

KRAKOW NATIVITY SCENE COMPETITION

October 19, 2014 By Howard Kramer 3 Comments

KRAKOW NATIVITY SCENE COMPETITION

Krakow, Poland Nativity scenes may have been introduced in Italy and popularized in France, but no one takes their Nativity scenes more seriously than the innovative and enthusiastic residents of Krakow in Poland.  The idea of the Nativity scene arrived in Poland sometime in the late Middle Ages in the form of local plays and, in child-friendly adaptation, puppet shows.  The … [Read more...]

AUSCHWITZ-BIRKENAU DEATH CAMP

August 14, 2014 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

AUSCHWITZ-BIRKENAU DEATH CAMP

Osweicim, Poland Throughout history, one of the saddest and darkest realities of religious and ethnic fundamentalism has been genocide.  Jews, Christians, Muslims and others have all been victims of religious massacres at each other’s hands, but no such chapter of history has reached the heights of infamy as the Holocaust perpetrated by Nazi Germany under Hitler.  Between … [Read more...]

PAWIAK MUSEUM

August 13, 2014 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

PAWIAK MUSEUM

Warsaw, Poland By the beginning of the 20th century, the idea of confinement to a ghetto as a way of life for Jews had been all but abolished.  However, the concept was reintroduced and took on a whole new meaning under the Nazi regime of Adolf Hitler.  In the Third Reich, the ghettos of Europe went from being thriving Jewish neighborhoods to virtual prisons from which Jews … [Read more...]

Next Page »

THE COMPLETE AMERICAN PILGRIM – NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON

THE COMPLETE PILGRIM

Welcome to The Complete Pilgrim(TM)! This site, created by Howard Kramer, is a combination travel blog and online guide to the world's greatest sites of religious interest (with some historic and recreational places thrown in for good measure). All written content has been originally researched and produced and is provided free for public research and enjoyment. Thank you for visiting!

Site of the Week

WITTENBERG CASTLE CHURCH

WITTENBERG CASTLE CHURCH

Wittenberg, Germany The … [Read More...]

Friends of TCP Spotlight

5 PLACES TO VISIT IN HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA – MUSLIM TRAVEL ROCKS

5 PLACES TO VISIT IN HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA – MUSLIM TRAVEL ROCKS

by Glory Ali The City of Brotherly Love offers tons to see and do and get this, it’s FREE. That’s right you heard it right it’s FREE. Click here for complete article  

MOVING THE U.S. EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM – FAITH IN FAITHS

MOVING THE U.S. EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM – FAITH IN FAITHS

by Mary Neuhauser President Trump recently announced his intentions to move the United States Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, thereby recognizing Jerusalem as the official capital of Israel. The purpose of this article is to give you a brief overview of what this decision means and why it matters. Click here for […]

Photo of the Week

BASILICA OF ST. DENIS

Last month, I visited one of the most fascinating churches I have ever been to, the almost completely ignored Basilica of St. Denis in the northern suburbs of Paris.  Almost every French monarch is buried here, and almost nobody goes here.  Here are some pics I took:

Basilica of St. Denis

Tomb of Clovis

Tomb of Clovis

Tombs of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

Tombs of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

Tomb of Louis XIV The Sun King

Tomb of Louis XIV The Sun King

Royal Tombs

Royal Tombs

The Crypt

The Crypt

 

 

 

 

Follow us!

Where would you like to go?

Africa (North) Africa (Sub-Sahara) Arabia Armenia/Azerbaijan/Georgia Australia/Pacific Austria/Switzerland Balkans Belgium/Netherlands British Isles Canada Caribbean Central Asia China Czech Republic Egypt France Germany Greece Hungary/Romania/Bulgaria India (NE)/Nepal India (NW) India (South)/Sri Lanka Iran/Iraq Israel Italy/Malta Japan/Korea Latin America Mexico Palestine Poland/Lithuania Russia Scandinavia Southeast Asia Spain/Portugal Syria/Jordan/Lebanon Turkey/Cyprus Ukraine US-California US-Mid Atlantic US-Midwest US-New England US-New York US-Pacific Northwest US-South US-Southwest

Contact Us

Have a comment, a great photo or a religious site you'd like to nominate for the weekly spotlight? We would love to hear from you. Email us at hkramer@thecompletepilgrim.com.

About the Author

Howard Kramer is the creator and author of The Complete Pilgrim. He first took an interest in religious sites in his early twenties when traveling through Italy after college. In the two decades since he has traveled to more than two dozen countries and almost every state, visiting and photographing hundreds of the world’s greatest churches, synagogues and other places of religious interest. Howard has been writing about religious sites for the better part of the last decade, and The Complete Pilgrim is the culmination of years of his work and passion.

Return to top of page
Copyright © 2023 The Complete Pilgrim, LLC || Marietta, GA 30068 || Legal Disclaimers

Website by: Kristina McInerny, Notes From Kris, Inc.