Oberammergau is a small Bavarian village in the Ammer valley, set among Alpine meadows about 90 km south of Munich. It is known across the world for its Passion Play, performed every ten years since 1634 when the village made a vow to God after being spared from the plague. About half the population takes part as cast or crew; the production runs from May to October in the play's appointed year and fills the village with visitors from around the world.
Between Passion Play years, Oberammergau draws visitors for its Lüftlmalerei — the tradition of painting elaborate trompe-l'oeil scenes onto building facades, which gives the village a distinctive character unlike anywhere else in Bavaria. The Pilatushaus is the most celebrated example. The town is also a centre of traditional woodcarving, with workshops producing religious figures and folk art, and the Rococo parish church of St Peter and Paul has one of the most exuberant interiors in the foothills. Above the village rises the rocky Kofel, its natural emblem; Schloss Linderhof, one of Ludwig II's fairy-tale castles, is 10 km away.