The Passion Play of Oberammergau

Tweet

I've written recently about the wood-working museum in the town of Oberammergau in Bavaria in south-west Germany. The painted houses are intriguing and the Italian café there makes a very nice banana split. The church of St Peter and St Paul is another ornate church which was consecrated in 1749. The ceiling is particularly eye-catching and the organ pipes are lavishly decorated with gold leaf. However, the town is most famous for its 'Passion Play' which has been performed every ten years since 1634. This followed from vows the townsfolk took in 1633 when they believed their prayers were answered, and they were saved from the bubonic plague. To keep a long story short, in 2010, the play was staged for a total of 102 days, running from 15 May to 3 October. It takes 5 hours to stage the play which runs from 2.30pm until 10.00pm and includes a break for a meal. Some 530,000 people may view the play over a season. There have been additional plays in 1934, marking the 300th anniversary of the original vow, and in 1984 to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the first performance. The present purpose-built theatre was first used in 1900 and is now capable of holding over 4,700 patrons. Underfloor heating has been installed, exhibition areas added and cloakrooms extended. The play brings an enormous amount of money into the town, much of which goes into civic improvements. The production involves over 2,000 local residents either as performers, musicians or stage technicians. Have you heard of the Passion Play of Oberammergau?