History of the Passion Play

Things were going well for Oberammergau in the early 1630’s. The small town was respected for their high quality wood carvings. On a successful sales trip through other parts of Germany, Austria and Switzerland, a woodcarver returned to the tiny hamlet in the Ammergau Alps with the plague. Within a year, a quarter of the population of Oberammergau had died. Not a single household escaped the suffering and loss.

In a desperate plea to God, the town vowed to perform a Passion Play every ten years if God would spare them from the plague. The play was first performed in 1634 on a stage they put up in the cemetery above the fresh graves of the plague victims The death rate, which had been as high as 20 adults a month, dropped to one a month. The villagers believed they were spared. The performance was first known as the “Play of the Suffering, Death and Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ”

God did appear to protect the village of Oberammergau and the Passion Play theater production began. Nearly four centuries later, the 41st production of the play will be held from the middle of May to the beginning of October, 2010. We invite you to experience the once in a life-time event of this world-famous performance by joining one of our groups as they tour around Europe and attend one of the few performances of the Passion Play.

This thrilling depiction of Christ’s passion for the world is a thrilling moving event. Don’t miss your chance to be part of history. We have four tour options to choose from, with a variety of dates.

2 Night Independent Tour- for those already in Europe
10 Day Switzerland, Italy, Austria, and Germany Tour
10 day Austria and Germany Tour
10 day Germany and Czech Republic Tour

All tours in August and September are already sold out. Call, email, or fill out a reservation form today to avoid disappointment. Seating is limited. To learn more about the history of the Passion Play in Oberammergau over the years, visit our Passion Play Timeline.