Oberammergau Germany Bavaria
Frequently Asked Questions
No. There is no quay: Oberammergau is an alpine village in the Ammer valley, 80 kilometres south of Munich. It is reached as an excursion or a cruise extension, by coach or regional train from Munich.
A performance staged every ten years following a vow made in 1633, when plague was ravaging Bavaria. About two thousand villagers, from the baker to the schoolteacher, take the stage to re-enact the last days of Christ.
In 2030. Several cruise lines are already selling packages combining a river cruise with the performance. Between editions, the theatre can be visited, backstage and costumes included.
Wander with your head up admiring the Lueftlmalerei frescoes covering the façades, visit a woodcarving workshop, then continue to Linderhof palace or Ettal abbey.
The open-air frescoes typical of the Bavarian Alps that cover the façades: biblical scenes, Grimm fairy tales, trompe-l oeil architecture. The Little Red Riding Hood house stands beside eighteenth-century dwellings.
Because lime and maple have been carved here for centuries. Some sixty professional carvers keep the craft alive, from monumental nativity scenes to figurines a few centimetres tall. Some workshops open their doors to visitors.
The only palace Ludwig II of Bavaria saw completed, a few kilometres from the village: terraced gardens, an artificial grotto and salons gilded to excess. Excursions often combine it with the baroque abbey of Ettal.
Half a day covers the village, Linderhof and Ettal. A full day allows the mountains as well, with the trails around the Kofel or the cable cars on nearby summits.
Light layers, even in summer: the alpine air cools as soon as the sun drops. Comfortable shoes matter if you walk along the forest edge or around the Kofel.
The euro. Carving workshops and major sites generally take cards, but keep cash for village cafés and small shops.
