Oberammergau

Oberammergau
Oberammergau from the summit of Kofel
Oberammergau
Coordinates	47°35′48″N 11°03′52″E / 47.59667°N 11.06444°E / 47.59667; 11.06444
Administration
Country	Germany
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.

Culture

Passion Play

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.

Oberammergau Passion Play 2010

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.

Traditional art

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).

Tongue-twister

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:

Heut kommt der Hans zu mir, / Freut sich die Lies / Ob er aber über Oberammergau, / Oder aber über Unterammergau, / Oder aber überhaupt nicht kommt, / Daß ist nicht g'wiß!

Translation: Hans is coming to me today / Lies rejoices / Whether he's coming via Oberammergau / Or via Unterammergau / Or not coming at all / That is unknown!

Gallery

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

Military

NATO School, NATO's key training and education facility on the operational level, has been located in Oberammergau since 1953.

References in popular culture

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.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Oberammergau

• Official site (German)
• Tourist information
• NATO School Website
• Official English Website for Oberammergau Passion Play 2010
• History of the Passion Play
• melody for the tongue twister round

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