Oberammergau is a municipality in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. The small town on the Ammer River is known for its woodcarvers and woodcarvings, for its

NATO School The NATO School Oberammergau in southern Germany is NATO's key training facility on the operational level. The School started with two courses in 1953 and now offers over 100 different courses to Alliance members and partners on subjects relate ...

, and around the world for its 380-year tradition of mounting Passion Plays.

History

Passion Play

The

Oberammergau Passion Play The Oberammergau Passion Play (german: Oberammergauer Passionsspiele) is a passion play that has been performed every 10 years from 1634 to 1674 and each decadal year since 1680 (with a few exceptions) by the inhabitants of the village of Obera ...

was first performed in 1634. According to local legend, the play is performed every ten years because 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. A man traveling back to the town for Christmas allegedly brought the plague with him by accident. The man purportedly died from the plague and it began spreading throughout Oberammergau. After the vow was made, according to tradition, not another inhabitant of the town died from the plague. All of the town members that were still suffering from the plague are said to have recovered. The play is now performed in years ending with a zero, as well as in 1934 which was the 300th anniversary and 1984 which was the 350th anniversary (though the 1920 performance was postponed to 1922 due to postwar economic conditions, and the 1940 performance was cancelled due to the onset of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

in 1939). The 2020 play is being postponed to 2022 due to the outbreak of COVID-19. It involves over 2000 actors, singers, instrumentalists and technicians, all residents of the village.

Geography

Tongue-twister

The name of the village (as well as that of neighbouring

Unterammergau Unterammergau is a municipality in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in Bavaria, Germany. It is the site of the 11th-century Chapel of St Leonhard, patron saint of horses, which is the terminus of the annual ''Leonhardritt'' and Blessing of t ...

) appears in a well-known

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

tongue-twister A tongue twister is a phrase that is designed to be difficult to articulate properly, and can be used as a type of spoken (or sung) word game. Additionally, they can be used as exercises to improve pronunciation and fluency. Some tongue twisters p ...

, often sung as a

round Round or rounds may refer to: Mathematics and science * The contour of a closed curve or surface with no sharp corners, such as an ellipse, circle, rounded rectangle, cant, or sphere * Rounding, the shortening of a number to reduce the number ...

: * ''German:'' Heut' kommt der Hans zu mir, / freut sich die Lies. / Ob er aber über Oberammergau, / oder aber über Unterammergau, / oder aber überhaupt nicht kommt, / das ist net g'wiß! * ''English:'' Hans will come join with me, / rejoices Lies. / If he comes by way of Oberammergau / or by way of Unterammergau, / or if at ''all'' he comes, / that is not sure!

Industry

Tourism

About half the inhabitants of Oberammergau took part in the once-a-decade Passion Play in 2010. Over 2,000 villagers performed the story of the

Passion of Jesus In Christianity, the Passion (from the Latin verb ''patior, passus sum''; "to suffer, bear, endure", from which also "patience, patient", etc.) is the short final period in the life of Jesus Christ. Depending on one's views, the "Passion" m ...

for the audiences from around the world. This was a labor-intensive community enterprise, in which only natives of the village could participate. Performances have taken place between mid-May and early October. The play has a major economic impact on Oberammergau. There is a local expression ''"Die Passion zahlt"'' ("The Passion Play will pay for it") in explaining how the Oberammergau community financed construction of a new community swimming pool, community centre, and other civic improvements. Since 1930, the number of visitors has ranged from 420,000 to 530,000. Most tickets are sold as part of a package with one or two nights' accommodation.

Traditional art

The village is also known as the home of a long tradition of woodcarving; the Bavarian State Woodcarving School is located there. Among the celebrated former students is the German artist

Wolfram Aichele Wolfram Aïchele (29 April 1924 – 9 June 2016) was an artist from Baden-Württemberg in Southern Germany. His work has been exhibited in America, Germany, France, Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. His paintings have been ...

. His processional church staff depicting Christ on a donkey can be seen in the church of St Peter and St Paul. 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, religious scenes or architectural ''

trompe-l'œil ''Trompe-l'œil'' ( , ; ) is an artistic term for the highly realistic optical illusion of three-dimensional space and objects on a two-dimensional surface. ''Trompe l'oeil'', which is most often associated with painting, tricks the viewer into ...

'' found on many homes and buildings. Lüftlmalerei is common in

Upper Bavaria Upper Bavaria (german: Oberbayern, ; ) is one of the seven administrative districts of Bavaria, Germany. Geography Upper Bavaria is located in the southern portion of Bavaria, and is centered on the city of Munich, both state capital and seat o ...

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 village is also known for its religious art. A wooden statue of Our Lady of Good Voyage from Oberammergau stands in the

Seaport Shrine Our Lady of Good Voyage, also known as the Seaport Shrine, is a Roman Catholic church (building), church located at 51 Seaport Boulevard in the Seaport District of Boston and in the Archdiocese of Boston. The shrine has 250 seats and holds Mass tw ...

in Boston, Massachusetts.

Transport

Oberammergau lies near the Bundesstraße 23, part of the ''Deutsche Alpenstrasse'' route. Its single-track, single platform railway station is the terminus of the Ammergau Railway. Several

Aerial lift An aerial lift, also known as a cable car or ropeway, is a means of cable transport in which ''cabins'', ''cars'', ''gondolas'', or open chairs are hauled above the ground by means of one or more cables. Aerial lift systems are frequently employe ...

s climb the nearby mountains.

Military

The

Conrad von Hötzendorf Conrad may refer to: People * Conrad (name) Places United States * Conrad, Illinois, an unincorporated community * Conrad, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Conrad, Iowa, a city * Conrad, Montana, a city * Conrad Glacier, Washingt ...

Kaserne was built just east of the village in 1935–37 as a base for the signals detachment (''Gebirgs-Nachrichten-Abteilung 54)'' of the Mountain Brigade. In October 1943, the barracks were taken over by the Messerschmitt company as a research and development site; of tunnels were bored into the neighboring Laber mountain for engine production facilities, and a winter sports hotel was also taken over. In all, Messerschmitt had 500 employees in the design department and about 1,300 more in the factory. At the end of the

, the Messerschmitt design department was visited by both U.S. and British scientific missions, as well as by teams from

Bell A bell is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be made by an inte ...

(who stayed for five weeks) and de Havilland.Christopher, p.156. Among the German staff interviewed by the

Fedden Mission The Fedden Mission was a British scientific mission sent by the Ministry of Aircraft Production to Germany at the end of the Second World War in Europe, to gather technical intelligence about German aircraft and aeroengines. It was named for the ...

were

Woldemar Voigt Woldemar Voigt (; 2 September 1850 – 13 December 1919) was a German physicist, who taught at the Georg August University of Göttingen. Voigt eventually went on to head the Mathematical Physics Department at Göttingen and was succeeded in ...

, Messerschmitt's chief designer, Hans Hornung, and Joseph Helmschrott.Christopher, p.157. After the war, the Americans occupied the kaserne, renaming it Hawkins Barracks and making it the primary facility of U.S. Army School Europe; over the next three decades schools in specialties ranging from military police to nuclear weapons handling were located there. The base reverted to German Army control and its original name in 1974.

, formerly NATO Weapons Systems School, the alliance's principal training and education facility on the operational level, has been located at Hawkins Barracks/Hötzendorf Kaserne since 1953.

Gallery

File:Bundesarchiv Bild 102-09463, Oberammergau.jpg, View of a street in Oberammergau, March 1930 File:Oberammergau1.JPG, Example of ''Lüftlmalerei'' decorating homes in Oberammergau File:Oberammergau, Baviera, Alemania, 2014-03-22, DD 27.JPG, Example of ''Lüftlmalerei'' decorating homes in Oberammergau File:Oberammergau3.JPG, Scene of Little Red Riding Hood decorating a home in Oberammergau File:Oberammergau Pilatushaus Gartenfassade.jpg, ''Lüftlmalerei'' adorning the facade of the ''Pilatushaus'' File:Iglesia de San Pedro y Pablo, Oberammergau, Baviera, Alemania, 2014-03-22, DD 28.JPG, The parish church of St. Peter and Paul File:Oberammergau Passion Play stage.JPG, The stage of the ''Passionspielhaus'' (2000) File:Joseph Albert Oberammergauer Passionsspiel Kreuzigung.jpg, Crucifixion scene from the 1870 Passion Play File:Oberammergau Kreuzigungsgruppe.jpg, The ''Kreuzigungsgruppe'' File:Oberammergau Pilatushaus Garten Kruzifix.jpg, Traditional crucifix beside the ''Pilatushaus'' File:Oberammergau St Florian.jpg, Woodcarving of St Florian File:Oberammergau Bethlehem Anbetung der Hirten BNM.jpg, Nativity group, ca. 1840 File:Oberammergau Skulpturen Schaufenster.jpg, Woodcarvings for sale File:Oberammergau Pfarrkirche organ.jpg, Parish church: Organ gallery File:Oberammergau Pfarrkirche Decke.jpg, Parish church: Dome File:Kofel bei Oberammergau.jpg, The '' Kofel'', Oberammergau's signature mountain File:OberammergauFromKofel.jpg, Oberammergau from the summit of the ''Kofel'' File:Oberammergau Ammer 1900.jpg, The town and the river Ammer in 1900

Notable people

* Rochus Dedler (1779–1822), composer *

Johannes Kirchmayer Johannes Kirchmayer also known as John Kirchmayer (March 31, 1860 – November 29, 1930) was one of the leading woodcarvers in the United States, active primarily in the Boston area. Kirchmayer was born in Oberammergau, Bavaria. After learn ...

(1860–1930) immigrated to the US in 1880, leading woodcarvers in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

USA * Maximilian Dasio (1865–1954) painter and medal engraver, died in the town. *

Ludwig Thoma Ludwig Thoma (; 21 January 1867 in Oberammergau – 26 August 1921 in Tegernsee) was a German author, publisher and editor, who gained popularity through his partially exaggerated description of everyday Bavarian life. After graduation from ...

(1867–1921) author, publisher and editor *

Alois Lang Alois Lang (1872–1954) was a Master Woodcarver at the American Seating Company, and one of the artists responsible for bringing the medieval art of ecclesiastical carving to life in the United States. Lang was born in Oberammergau in Bavaria, ...

(1872–1954) immigrated to the US in 1890, a master woodcarver at the

American Seating American Seating Inc. is a company specializing in the production of chairs and other seating, including seats for rail transport and public transportation, schools and churches. Founded in 1886 as the Grand Rapids School Furniture Company, the ...

Company * Eugen Papst (1886–1956), composer * Franz-Zeno Diemer (1889–1954) flight pioneer in Bavaria, * Max Streibl (1932–1998) CSU politician, eighth

Minister President A minister-president or minister president is the head of government in a number of European countries or subnational governments with a parliamentary or semi-presidential system of government where they preside over the council of ministers. I ...

* Erich Ott (born 1944) sculptor, engraver and designer *

Gregor Betz Gregor Betz (born 21 November 1948) is a German former swimmer. He competed at the 1968 Summer Olympics and the 1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Muni ...

(born 1948) former swimmer, competed at the

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Janu ...

and

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...

born in the town