Ruin of the abbey Eldena at Greifswald from the east

"Ruin of the abbey Eldena at Greifswald from the east" is a drawing made by Caspar David Friedrich in 1836. You can find it, among many other treasures, at the Kupferstich-Kabinett Dresden museum. This delicate drawing, measuring just 0.235 meters high and 0.228 meters wide, depicts the ruins of a Gothic abbey seen from the east. Notice how the artist captures the way nature reclaims the structure, with vegetation clinging to its weathered walls. The small house with a thatched roof in the foreground provides a simple counterpoint to the grandeur of the abbey, reminding us of the passage of time and the enduring presence of nature.