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Oberammergau, Germany :: Wilcox World Travel and Tours / American Express |
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Most of those who arrive in Oberammergau to see the Passion Play in 2010 will come as part of a wider tour which the Play is a climax. Many will spend only two or three nights in Oberammergau and there might not be much time for exploring the village or its surroundings areas. |
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Although this is a pity, since there is so much to see which is of interest and beauty, but hopefully this brief visit will act as a stimulant to come again another year and stay for a longer spell.
Oberammergau makes an excellent location for vacations at any time of year. It has excellent winter sports facilities, and in non-Passion Play years more visitors will come in the winter than in summer. |
The village stands some 840 meters above sea level, in a valley almost totally surrounded by mountains. It is approached from the east by a road which winds its way up from the autobahn between Munich and Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
The other road out takes a northerly direction, following the river Ammer through the 'twin' village of Unterammergau, and then to Schongau and north towards Augsburg.
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Coming from the east the road passes through the village of Ettal, with its huge monastery and a fine church founded in 1330. Oberammergau was administered from here for many years, and the monastery and its incumbents have always had a great influence on the Passion Play . Together with its fellow monastic institutions at Rottenbuch and Steingarder, Ettal forms a geographic triangle know as Priests Corner. In its trade route days, the people of Oberammergau made a good living from providing transport and lodgings for the traveler. in the winter months they busied themselves by making wooden toys and utensils, the foundation of the wood carving art for which Oberammergau is famous today. Most of those who lived in the mountains developed the art especially well, since they could not move far from their homes once the snows had descended. They would spend the winter carving toys, religious figures and household utensils, and when summer arrived some would set off to peddle their wares in the surrounding area. The goods were carried on a frame and slung over the back. A carved representation of such peddler is one of the main attractive sights of the village today.
Two surrounding mountains stand out. The Laber, on the eastern edge of the village is 5600 feet high and can be ascended by cable car.
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On the southern edge of the village is the Kofel (4480ft), a sugar loaf shaped mountain with a great cross on its peak.
This cross is often used as a symbol of the village and it is on the slopes of the Kofel that many of the traditional festivities of the village take place, such as the birthday celebration of King Ludwig II. |
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