The Bavarian Alps
We’ve compiled the best of the best in The Bavarian Alps - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
Get FREE email communications from Fodor's Travel, covering must-see travel destinations, expert trip planning advice, and travel inspiration to fuel your passion.
We’ve compiled the best of the best in The Bavarian Alps - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
Oberammergau is best known for its Passion Play, first presented in 1634 as an offering of thanks after the Black Death stopped just short of the village. In faithful accordance with a solemn vow, it has been performed every 10 years since 1680; it will next be performed in 2022, after being postponed for two years due to Covid. Its 16 acts, which take 5½ hours, depict the final days of Christ, from the Last Supper through the Crucifixion and Resurrection. It's presented daily on a partly open-air stage against a mountain backdrop from late May to late September. The entire village is swept up in the production, with some 1,500 residents directly involved in its preparation and presentation. Men grow beards in the hope of capturing a key role; young women have been known to put off their weddings—the role of Mary went only to unmarried girls until 1990, when, amid much local controversy, a 31-year-old mother of two was given the part.
Though the Passion Play theater was traditionally not used for anything other than the Passion Play (next performance: 2022), Oberammergauers have begun using it for opera or other theatrical events during the 10-year pause between the religious performances.
{{ item.review }}
Please try a broader search, or expore these popular suggestions:
There are no results for {{ strDestName }} Performing-arts in the searched map area with the above filters. Please try a different area on the map, or broaden your search with these popular suggestions: