Don’t miss it! Once every 10 years, an extraordinary opportunity arises to explore the heart of Europe while also taking in the historic, world-famous Passion Play in Oberammergau, Germany.
Every decade for the past 400 years, this small Bavarian town has transformed itself into a massive Passion Play, depicting the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Over 2,400 residents of Oberammergau bring the story to life as actors, singers, instrumentalists and stage technicians. The five-hour play is presented in two parts (afternoon and evening). There are five performances per week from early May through the first of October in an open-air theatre featuring comfortable seats covered by a dome to protect the audience from the elements. The play itself is performed on an open stage against a backdrop of magnificent mountains and sky. The variable weather makes each performance unique, with the actors incorporating the brilliant sunshine, rain or mist to help convey the story’s many moods. This wonderful spectacle of pageantry is world renowned for its costumes, musical presentation and evolving screenplay. It is anticipated that more than 750,000 visitors will attend the performances in 2022. People from around the world and from many different religions, come to experience the fascinating way the town comes together to perform this religious and cultural spectacle.
“The staging changes fundamentally every time,” explains Director Christian Stückl. “Since the Passion Play takes place once every 10 years, I keep having to write the text in a new way, tell the story in a new way. I’ll include things I learned from the previous play, and it always has to reflect the respective time period and its political circumstances.”
How did it begin? Oberammergau’s Passion Play has been electrifying audiences in the Bavarian Alps since 1634, when in the midst of the Thirty Years’ War, the bubonic plague swept across Europe. Eighty-four Oberammergau residents died within three weeks after a resident working in a neighbouring village brought the infectious disease to the small hamlet when he returned home to his wife and children. After months of death and suffering, the people reached out in desperation to God and made a solemn vow that if God would spare the residents of Oberammergau from the plague, they would present a play depicting the life and death of Christ every 10 years. Miraculously, the plague took no more lives in the town. And so, the tradition continues to this day.
2022 marks the 42nd time that the village has fulfilled on their vow. Craig Travel has created eight leisurely-paced, varied and carefully planned itineraries throughout Europe and the Holy Land for you to experience the Passion Play. Departure dates run from May through September. Six itineraries feature coach touring; two feature deluxe river cruises on the Rhine or the Danube.
Travelling with Craig Travel puts your mind at ease. All of the details are taken care of for you. Our journeys include round-trip airfare, first-class hotel accommodation, most meals, all sightseeing, gratuities for included services, baggage handling, airport transfers in Canada and overseas. We have guaranteed the best seats in the theatre and excellent hotels in the village to ensure the best possible experience of the Passion Play. A capable and well-travelled Canadian will escort each group from Canada and will work hand in hand with professional tour managers and local guides to provide you with the best worry-free travel experience. All groups are limited to less than 40 guests.
Several departures are already SOLD OUT, and the remaining places are filling quickly. Full details on all departures can be found on our website by clicking here or by calling Craig Travel 1-800-387-8890.
Don’t just go to the theatre, Experience Our World.
Photo compliments of Oberammergau Passion Play 2020