3 Best Performing Arts Venues in The Bavarian Alps, Germany

Without doubt, the Passion Play is the top draw for Oberammergau. It was first presented in 1634 as an offering of thanks after the Black Death stopped just short of the village. In faithful accordance with a solemn vow, it has been performed every 10 years since 1680. Its 16 acts, which take 5½ hours (with a break for dinner), depict the final days of Christ, from the Last Supper through the Crucifixion and Resurrection. During the presentation year, it's presented daily (in Germany, without supertitles or translation) on a partly open-air stage against a mountain backdrop from late May to late September. The entire village is swept up in the production, with some 1,500 residents directly involved in its preparation and presentation. Men grow beards in the hope of an acting role, while young women have been known to put off their weddings for a shot at playing Mary, which only went to unmarried girls until 1990 (when, to much controversy, a 31-year-old mother of two was given the part). But all performers must reside in Oberammergau. In the off-season—which includes the rest of this decade, as the next performance takes place in 2030— the Passionstheater hosts other plays, mostly in German, as well as opera performances and concerts.

Bad Reichenhall is proud of its long musical tradition and of its orchestra, founded more than a century ago. It performs on numerous occasions throughout the year in the chandelier-hung Kurgastzentrum Theater or, when weather permits, in the open-air pavilion, and at a special Mozart Week in March.

Bad Tölz is world renowned for its outstanding boys' choir. When not in Munich or out on tour, the choir gives regular concerts in the Kurhaus.