A Passionate Play

Only in Oberammergau

Practice makes perfect in the Bavarian Alpine village of Oberammergau where villagers have performed the Passion Play every ten years since 1634. Then, as now, the people were threatened by a pandemic that sickened their world. The residents of Oberammergau prayed to the heavens for protection, and in return pledged to perform “a play about the suffering, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ” once every ten years if they were spared. While we’ve similarly been praying for a safe return to travel, some 2,000 villagers in Oberammergau have been rehearsing their lines for the anticipated opening of Passionspiele in 2022, postponed from 2020 due to COVID conditions. Interestingly, one hundred years ago the play was postponed from 1920 to 1922, due to lingering casualties from WWI.

2022 marks the 42nd Oberammergau Passion Play and it is expected to draw an audience from all over the world. There is still an opportunity to see this once-in-a-decade pageant on our Swiss Highlands & Bavarian Alps tour – space is limited; click here for availability.

We had the chance to speak with “Jesus” earlier this year on insideTauck, garnering an inside look at this once-in-a-decade event through the eyes of the Oberammergau actor who plays him on the stage where he performs. You can hear him describe the pageantry in the video below.

Watch the video.