The Catholic Church is in a very different part of town, and stands in stark contrast to the plain Lutheran one. It is an onion domed pink Rocco marble cathedral.   Here are some shots….     The graveyard outside and to the left is worth a look as well behind which is a little chapel as you can see in the shot below. The outside does not prepare you for the extravaganza within. Notice the pinkness of it all.  ... Read more

Before the Lutheran Church of Germany became Nazified before and during WWII, there was a long history of anti-semitism going back to Luther himself, unfortunately.  And while much has been done to repent of that, and amend the way the Passion Play has been done, and amend church life in the Lutheran Church in that country, there are sadly still vestiges of that past even in the existing Lutheran Church in Oberammergau today. The modern Lutheran Church there has stained... Read more

There is a sort of one floor museum in the front of the theater where the Passion Play is held, which chronicles the history of the play, and is very helpful.  Here is the front of the building and some of the exhibits which are in the front hallway.       What you see there is the original text of the play in the 17th century.   This is the chap that in the 18th century came up with... Read more

Like so many old German medieval towns, many of the buildings themselves are decorated and here are a few. Somehow, I don’t think Pilate slept here. Maybe the actors who have played him.   One or more of these buildings depict the wise men showing up (in Germany?) for the birth of Jesus, which of course makes no sense, but may tell us something of how the town used to celebrate Christmas.   Or how about the Sanitary Wolf???    ... Read more

This is now available on Amazon of course, but you can also find it at Wipf and Stock. This is a much expanded 2nd edition which Jason Myers, my former doctoral student and I did together, with a definitive bibliography of the resources that have arisen since the first edition provided by a current doctoral student, Eric Laudenslager.    Thanks to both of them for helping make this possible. Book Details Read more

The town of Oberammergau is not a one trick pony, as they say.  It is also famous for its woodworkers as you will now see.   This guy is working hard on carving a giant angel, for tips no less.       And then there is this inexplicable one— Jesus decides –‘enough of this cross thing’?  Or. Jesus hangs by a thread?  Or Don’t make me come Down there? Or, won’t you come and join me on the cross?... Read more

Behold the nice gazebo at the top of the big hill at the back of the palace.  From here you get a nice view of the whole property, including the man-made waterfall. There are plenty of other water features and fountains… this one just behind the palace.     Ludwig was completely enamored with J. Wagner and his Ring cycle and so the property and the interior reflects some of the characters and scenes from those operas.     There... Read more

In some ways this is a much more beautiful place due to the spectacular setting– a palace, modelled on Versailles and its gardens, between two hills (even Versailles doesn’t have this beautiful a setting).  Whereas at Neuschwanstein you can go inside and take photos, it’s not all that exciting, here at Linderhof, you can go inside and there are some impressive rooms including the throne room but no pictures are allowed (boo, hiss). Here are your tour guides…   Here... Read more

The monastery or Abbey at Ettal in Germany is an important destination for both Catholics and Protestants, the latter because here Dietrich Bonhoeffer hid out for 4 months at the invitation of Father Rupert in late 1939 into 1940. Above is Father Rupert and below is the plaque about Bonhoeffer This plaque is in the prayer room near the door when one enters the abbey.   The Cloister and cathedral themselves are huge…     The cathedral is very ornate... Read more

Sometime you just have to wonder what in the world the builders of some cathedrals were actually thinking.   I mean build an ornate cathedral in the middle of a cow pasture…. quite literally.  But then they tell you this was a pilgrimage church, a church one would stop at on the way to somewhere else like a major cathedral in a major city, say Saltzberg.  But I digress.  And while we are at it… those Guernseys really stink! O.K. on... Read more