Oberammergau Travel Guide
COMPARE PRICES on all Oberammergau Hotels
Compare prices and availability on major travel sites with one click
COMPARE PRICES on all Flights to Oberammergau
Compare prices and availability on major travel sites with one click
95km (59 miles) SW of Munich, 20km (12 miles) N of Garmisch-Partenkirchen
In the summer of 2000, Oberammergau staged its famous Passion Play, which is performed only 1 year out of 10. Surely the world's longest-running show, it began in 1634 when the town's citizens took a vow to give dramatic thanks after they were spared from the devastating plague of 1633. The town is packed to the gills all summer for this major event. The next one is scheduled for 2010. Attracting pilgrims from around the world, the Passion Play depicts the "suffering, death, and rebirth of Jesus Christ." In many ways, it's an authentic re-creation of a medieval morality play. Though the theater and production methods are contemporary, the spirit of the play is highly traditional. The whole production is community-based. Locals do all the acting -- the competition for the roles of Jesus and Mary can be fierce. Performances last all day, with a break for lunch. Viewing the production can alternate between tedious and highly dramatic -- but in most cases, it's fascinating. Where else would you get to witness such a pocket of medievalism in the modern world?
However, a visit to Oberammergau is ideal at any time, even without the performance. The town is in a wide valley surrounded by forests, green meadows, and mountains. It offers first-class hotels and cozy inns, and has long been known for the skill of its wood-carvers. Numerous hiking trails lead through the nearby mountains to hikers' inns. You can also simply go up to the mountaintops on the Laber cable railway or the Kolben chairlift.
Oberammergau also offers opportunities for tennis buffs, minigolf players, cyclists, swimmers, hang-gliding enthusiasts, and canoeists. The recreation center, Wellenberg, with open-air pools, fountains, sauna, solarium, and restaurant, is one of the Alps' most beautiful. The surrounding Ammer Valley is a treasure trove for explorers. And Oberammergau is often used as a base for visiting Linderhof Castle, the Benedictine monastery at Ettal, or the fairy-tale Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castles.
