| Oberammergau | |
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Oberammergau
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| Coordinates | 47°35′48″N 11°03′52″E / 47.59667°N 11.06444°E |
| Administration | |
| Country | Germany |
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| State | Bavaria |
| Admin. region | Upper Bavaria |
| District | Garmisch-Partenkirchen |
| Mayor | Arno Nunn |
| Governing party | CSU |
| Basic statistics | |
| Area | 30.06 km2 (11.61 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 837 m (2746 ft) |
| Population | 5,364 (30 June 2005) |
| - Density | 178 /km2 (462 /sq mi) |
| Other information | |
| Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) |
| Licence plate | GAP |
| Postal code | 82487 |
| Area code | 08822 |
| Website | www.gemeinde-oberammergau.de |
Oberammergau is a municipality in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in Bavaria, Germany. The town is famous for its production of a Passion Play and the NATO School.
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The Oberammergau Passion Play was first performed in 1634 and is the result of a vow made by the inhabitants of the village that if God spared them from the effects of the bubonic plague then sweeping the region they would perform a passion play every ten years. The play is now performed in years ending with a zero, except 1984 which was the 350th anniversary, and involves over 2000 actors, singers, instrumentalists and technicians, all residents of the village.
About half the inhabitants of Oberammergau take part in the once-a-decade Passion Play in 2010.
This means that over 2,000 villagers will bring the story of Jesus of Nazareth to life for the audiences that flock in from around the world. The play starts with Jesus entering Jerusalem, continues with his death on the cross and finishes with the resurrection. As ever, this is an extraordinary community enterprise.
2010 sees a new production directed by Christian Stückl, director at Munich's noted Volkstheater. He is supported by the artistic team that along with him staged the 2000 Passion Play: deputy director and dramatic adviser Otto Huber, set and costume designer Stefan Hageneier and music director Marxus Zwink and conductor Michael Bocklet - all from Oberammergau. The play starts at 14.30 and including a three-hour interval ends at 22.30, performances take place between mid-May and early October 2010.
The village is also known as the home of a long tradition of woodcarving. The streets of central Oberammergau are home to dozens of woodcarver shops, with pieces ranging from religious subjects, to toys, to humorous portraits.
Oberammergau is also famous for its "Lüftlmalerei," or frescoes, of traditional Bavarian themes, fairy tales, or religious scenes found on many homes and buildings. Lüftlmalerei is common Upper Bavaria and its name may be derived from an Oberammergau house called Zum Lüftl, which was the home of facade painter Franz Seraph Zwinck (1748–1792).
The name of the village (as well as that of neighbouring Unterammergau) appears in a well-known German tongue-twister, often sung as a round:
 Example of "Lüftmalerei" decorating homes in Oberammergau |
 Scene of Little Red Riding Hood decorating a home in Oberammergau |
 Example of "Lüftmalerei" decorating homes in Oberammergau |
NATO School, NATO's key training and education facility on the operational level, has been located in Oberammergau since 1953.
In the GWAR album Violence Has Arrived, 'Oberammergau' is the name of a hell beast that they use to transport themselves around the world. It is mentioned in the songs 'Anti-Anti-Christ' and 'The Song of Words'.
In Pat Conroy's novel, The Prince of Tides, Savannah Wingo writes a poem which celebrates the "shy Oberammergau of the itinerant barber;" her praise for her grandfather's tradition of walking around town carrying a 90 pound cross every Good Friday.
The 1934 film Twentieth Century, starring John Barrymore, mentions the famous passion play.
In Maud Hart Lovelace's novel Betsy and the Great World, Betsy visits Oberammergau and meets many of the people involved in the passion play.
Also, the passion play inspired the Brazilians to create one of the largest outdoor theaters in the world, called New Jerusalem city theater in Pernambuco.
Jerome K Jerome wrote 'The Diary of a Pilgrimage' about his journey to see the Passion Play. There is an audio version of this book available to download from Audible.
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Oberammergau is in the German state of Bavaria. It is famous for its Passion Play every 10 years as well as the "Luftmalerei" (when they paint mural-type illustrations on their houses and buildings).
You can reach Oberammergau by train from Munich central station (München Hauptbahnhof), you have to take the train headed to Innsbruck (a regional train that departs on daily basis) and switch trains in the Murnau train station (the train to Oberammergau is the only other train in the station), the trip from Murnau to Oberammergau shouldn't be a problem, since Oberammergau is the last station to be reached.
You may also reach Oberammergau by car, you would have to go to south Munich in order to the take the Autobahn A-95 south to the Ettal exit. From there on the B-23 to Oberammergau.
Getting around Oberammergau shouldn't be a problem since it's a relativly small town. You can get around (as most locals do) walking, but you can also take the bus (there are a couple of bus stops in town), you could also get around by car, and like most of youth by bicycle.
If there is something that anybody who has been to Oberammergau should have is a Wood souvenir. Wood carving is an ancient art practice in Oberammergau (there's even a couple of schools in town), an usual oberammergau souvenir are wooden cruxifix. There are two kinds of wooden clocks that can be purchased, the first is a coo coo clock (which may vary from size and price) and the second one is a Bavarian clock, which goes in the opposite sence of conventional clocks with the inscription "In Bayern gehen die Uhren anders" (In Bavaria the clocks run differently).
For a small town Oberammergau offers a great variety of places to eat. If you don't wish to spend too much money in food you can try eating at one of the imbiss (bars in which food is also served). You can also eat at one of the many hotel and guest houses (where among international food, local food is also served). There are also classical choices of food, for instance you can eat some of the best burgers in Charly's Imbiss or if you're in the mood you should try el Puente (a mexican restaurant). Desserts are to be found not only in the restaurants but also in some cafés.
Hot beverages are served in the small cafés in town. There are also Café/Ice shops in which coffee and ice creams are sold all year round. But if you'd like to have a nightcap then you probably would want to go to some of the town's bars, if you're young and just want to relax among young people you should go to the Kino Cafe (a movie theater with a café), in here you're most likely to find any kind of cocktail you want and also some good food. But if you want to expirience some of the local folklore then Zum Tonis is the right place for you, a typical Bavarian bar, with a friendly staff and a large variaty of local and international schnapps.
For such a small town Oberammergau presents quite a variety of hotels, with prices between €45 per night to €200 per night. Location is really irrelevant since the town is quite small, some of the hotels are pretty basic in what the offer. You can stay in places like bed and breakfasts (which have a more "family oriented" feeling to it) or you can stay at a 5 star hotel like Maximilian Hotel, you may also want to consider which hotel is adaquate to your needs, for instance if you're traveling alone, if you're bringing children with or even pets, because some hotels are more suited than others.
For backpacking travelers you may want to check the local Youth Hostel out, it has 29 rooms, conference rooms, winter sport equipment rental, and you are able to have breakfast (buffet), lunch (buffet), dinner and packed lunches in the hostel (they will take into consideration the nutritional requirements of different cultures and religions, if such requirements are cleared when the booking takes place), the price on a hostel room can vary from €17 to €25 per person, per night (the variation comes from including meals in your accommodation).
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Category: Outline articles
OBERAMMERGAU, a village of Bavaria, Germany, district of Upper Bavaria, situated amongst the foot-hills of the Alps in the valley of thQ Ammer, 64 m. S.S.W. of Munich. Pop. about 1400. The village folk are mainly engaged in making toys, and carving crucifixes, rosaries and images of saints.
The place is famous for their performance of a Passion Play every tenth year (e.g. in 1910), to which thousands of visitors flock. This dramatic representation of the sufferings of Christ is not a survival of a medieval mystery or miracleplay, but took its rise from a vow made by the inhabitants in 1633, with the hope of staying a plague then raging. The original text and arrangements were probably made by the monks of Ettal, a monastery a little higher up the valley; but they were carefully remodelled by the parish priest at the beginning of the present century, when the Oberammergau play obtained exemption from the general suppression of such performances by the Bavarian government. The music was composed by Rochus Dedler, schoolmaster of the parish in 1814. The performances take place on the Sundays of summer, in a large open-air theatre holding 6000 persons, and each lasts about nine hours, with a short intermission at noon. Each scene from the history of Christ is prefaced by a tableau of typical import from the Old Testament. About 700 actors are required, all belonging to the village. The proceeds of the performances are devoted to the good of the community, after defrayal of the costs and payment of a small remuneration to the actors. The villagers regard the Passion Play as a solemn act of religious worship, and the performances are characterized by the greatest reverence.
The principal parts are usually hereditary in certain families; and are assigned with regard to moral character as well as dramatic ability. It is considered a disgrace not to be allowed to take part in the play, and the part of Christ is looked upon as one of the greatest of earthly honours.
Edward Devrient (in 1850) was among the first to direct general attention to Oberammergau; and numerous accounts have since appeared. An English version of the text of the Passion Play has been published by E. Childe (1880).
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Oberhausen >> |
   | Official site - Oberammergau: Passion 2010, Passionsspiele, Kultur: Urlaub in den Ammergauer Alpen, Bayern |
| | Official site - Oberammergau: Passion 2010, Passionsspiele, Kultur: Urlaub in den Ammergauer Alpen, Bayern |
| | NATO School - NATO School - Official Site |
| | History of the Passion Play - Oberammergau Passion Play |
| | Anti-Defamation League entry about the Oberammergau Passion Play - On Passion Plays |
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