Oberammergau Passion Play

A tradition in the Bavarian Alps for nearly four centuries, the famed Passion Play of Oberammergau, Germany, attracts hundreds of thousands of spectators from around the world. A massive undertaking, this elaborate production runs from May through early October and is produced only every 10 years. The premiere of the 42nd Passion Play will be on May 14, 2022.

The story behind Oberammergau’s Passion Play began in 1633. Amid the turmoil of the Thirty Years’ War and the devastating Black Death plague -- which claimed one or more members of nearly every family in Oberammergau -- the townspeople made an oath to perform a play depicting the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ every 10 years. They fulfilled this promise for the first time in 1634. In 2010 more than 2,000 local actors, singers, musicians and stage technicians brought this story to life.

Itineraries that include tickets to the Oberammergau Passion Play often visit other cities in Germany and elsewhere in Europe.