O'GAU Passion Play 2000
 

Would like to know the dates of the Passion Play in O'gau in 2000 and how to get tickets.

Hi Tom-Last March I went to www.Oberammergau.com and requested an application for tickets to the Passion Play. They had a system whereby you could enter your name, address and phone number via their website. Almost immediately I received the application and other info at my home. To control crowds, their system is to buy a package which includes your tickets, meals and lodging, and the accompanying literature tells you how to choose the various levels of lodging and prices. I sent my application in in March, and only at the end of August did I receive confirmation of my reservation. You can check their website, but I think it has been taken over by a travel company. Maybe you should contact them, or go to a travel agent where you live. I do have the address of the ticket office in Oberammergau, but it's at home, and I am at work. I'd be happy to get it for you if you'd like. The dates for the Passion Play are roughly May-October, 2000. Good luck! <BR>

Hey Tom! Look what I found in my briefcase!!! <BR> <BR>Verkehrs-und Reiseburo Gemeinde Oberammergau OHG <BR>Mitgesellschafter:abr Reiseburo <BR>Eugen-Pabst-Strasse 9a <BR>D-82487 Oberammergau, Germany <BR> <BR>Telephone 49/88 22/92 31-0 <BR>Fax 49/88 22/92 31-90 <BR>E-mail:[email protected] <BR> <BR>Good luck to you!!! Gina <BR>

Hi Tom and Gina. I did the Oberamergau Passion Play in 1990 and on that basis offer a few tips. First off, you really do need to book the package because Oberamergau and all the small communities in the region including places like Garmish-Partenkirchen have NO hotel rooms during the passion play period that are available except as part of the play package. When you are part of a package everything is totally organized for you and all you have to do is watch the play. The play itself is done in two parts, with a long morning session, followed by lunch -- our lunch was provided also as part of the package at a local restaurant and it was amazing to see the thousands of people leave the play and get to the destinations where they were eating and get back, on time -- and then the play resumed in the afternoon for several more hours. It was a very long day, made longer by the fact the seats in the theatre are very hard wood and narrow, and elbow room is at a premium. Moreover, the theatre is open air with a roof over it and it is not heated or airconditioned. We were there at the end of May, in those mountains, and would have frozen to death if someone more familiar with the situation than we were didn't urge us to rent blankets from blanket vendors located outside the theatre, so we could wrap ourselves in them. The rental fee is reasonable and I would urge anyone there in May/June or after mid-August to invest in a blanket. Once in the theatre you are NOT allowed out when the play is underway, so if you need to go to the bathroom do so before you take your seat as they will literally force you to sit back down if you get up. A program is provided that gives the highlights in languages other than German. Fortunately in the case of the passion play, knowing the plot helps because it takes a lot of dedication to follow an entire play -- 6 or 7 hours of it in a language you do not understand. The play is not great theatre but the history behind the play and the fact all the players are amateur and they are continuing a village tradition that is hundreds of years old makes this a spectacle well worth taking in at least once in your life. Lanny <BR> <BR>

Hey Lanny! Thank you so very much for all the info! Even though I have heard a lot about the Passion Play, I have never actually met anyone who had see it. I really appreciate your advice. One question, though. What do you do if you want to stay in the area longer to do sightseeing and you have to move out of your package lodging? Should I try to make reservations in another hotel now? Or should I plan to go back to Munich and do my daytripping from there? Well, that's actually 3 questions. Thanks for everything. <BR>

Hi back. My recollection, from dealing with our travel agent back then was that I could have bought several -- like two or three days -- at the hotel we selected in the area and done other things in the area. We did not stay in Oberamergau ourselves. It is a very small village with limited accommodation and much of this in private houses. We were booked into a lovely hotel in Garmisch Partenkirchen (cannot for the life of me remember the name now!), at the foot of the world famous ski hill. We greatly enjoyed Garmisch because it is a ski resort town and it was quite lively. As we stayed there both the night before the performance and the night after I am sure you can add extra days fairly easily if you buy the package. After Garmisch we moved on to Innisbruck, Austria to explore that area for a couple of days. Do take the time when you are in Oberamergau to walk around the town which is full of murals on the walls of many of the houses. And of course you have to buy a typical hand carved figurine from the area -- these are the area's second greatest claim to fame. Enjoy. <BR> <BR>Lanny