Strasbourg STRASBOURG With the aim of a uniting of Europe it comes to the first stop on the pilgrimage at the Minster in Strasbourg. In the presence of the archbishop and with his blessing, the Sternenweg is performed in front of a great audience. Under the patronage of the president of the parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe, the path leads on to Santiago de Compostela. Mounted on great low-loaders, the pilgrimage of the Sternenweg becomes a visual demonstration. Its journey to the West is an intercession for integrating the East into Europe.
Santiago de Compostela SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA refers to the old pre-christian path, which follows the milky way along the Pyrenees to Finisterre, the mediaeval end of the European world. On a deck of cards, Helmut Lutz finds lines that resemble the real purpose of the pilgrimage – the connection of West and East of Europe. Already in 1976 he drew a flying Ikarus-figure that holds East and West together. The Milky Way on this map leads further via Rome to Istanbul and connects focal points of attention of Christianity and Islam. The Sternenweg visionary turns to the problematic connection of Europe and the Orient. In 1993 the Sternenweg is put up in front of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela for the jubilee of the holy year and performances take place throughout 6 months. After that, the path leads via Madrid, Toulouse on the axis to Moscow, through the tragical theatre of war in Yugoslavia on to the Danube. This journey creates a circular movement leading along the Danube to the Bosporus and again to Istanbul. Orient and Occident come into contact. Helmut Lutz’s life’s work is devoted to this acute question.

Rom ROME becomes the stop on the pilgrimage that connects the Sternenweg to the newly developed sound-ship Im Augenblick (glimpse of an eye). This is an historical event in the year 1999. The Piazza Navona, filled with two 40 m long sculptural stages, it is set in motion through the performances. Mike Swoboda’s triton-shell play connects to the many fountains of Rome. The additional exhibition in the Palazzo del Expositione and the audience with Pope Johannes Paul underlines the great matter of concern of the pilgrimage. Rome, the second stop on the path, creates the further orientation of the path to the third station - the important pilgrim city, Jerusalem.
Jerusalem JERUSALEM The Sternenweg is invited to the Jerusalem Festival in the year 2000. This is an incredible station for a German who now reminds us of the sorrowful path of the Jews. In front of the fantastic sight of the temple mount the Sternenweg is performed three times. Ezekiel’s eagle, lion, bull and angel cry for freedom. Whoever has got ears to hear… the great ears seem to ask us. The Krückenwesen (crutch-creatures) draw sorrowful traces into the sand of the desert.