Olga Born
(Germany, Munich)

Autumn weekdays in the Bavarian village

Olga Born's previous story about Germany:

Late autumn in southern Bavaria is not only the time of leaf fall, but also the obligatory change of summer tires to winter ones. The weather in the mountains is changeable - today a warm wind (Fön) has come to visit from the southern side of the Alps, tomorrow snow and rain will suddenly come, and the day after tomorrow frosts will be persistently requested and it is impossible to refuse them.

Bavarians, accustomed to the whims of the Alps, cannot be taken by surprise - here everything is done in advance. Registration in the auto repair shop including. The workshop, whose services I use, is located in the countryside, so while taking off summer sandals and putting on winter boots for my faithful girlfriend, I had to somehow pass half an hour. I didn’t feel like sitting in a cafe at all, especially when it’s a dry and warm autumn day outside, and there’s a camera in my purse. And so I decided to just take a walk, besides, there is something to see in the Bavarian village.

A village in Bavaria has nothing to do with the picture that arises when a Russian village is mentioned. Here, the social boundaries between the city and the countryside are erased, living outside the city, closer to nature, overlooking the Alps, not far from a lake or a mountain stream is very prestigious, and having a plot near the water is completely expensive.

Each village often has an area of ​​expensive villas, there is always a church, at least one restaurant, cafe, post office, Primary School, bank branch, bakery, butcher shop, doctors, some shops. What may not be is the railway station. Moreover, its absence most often does not upset local residents, since this circumstance limits access to the countryside. curious tourists, and therefore life in the village goes on calmly and measuredly.

However, we will not delve into the degree of prestige of housing outside the city and the social opportunities of the countryside, but will focus on the mandatory attributes of any Bavarian village and the life of Bavarian peasants.

If the theater begins with a hanger, then any Bavarian settlement begins with Maibaum, which means "Maypole". This building always stands in a central place in the village. If you happen to be in a Bavarian village, know that next to the maypole you will find a restaurant of national cuisine.

The trunk of the maypole is wrapped with a ribbon or painted with a spiral stripe. In this case, the direction of the spiral is set quite clearly: from bottom to top from left to right. In the Bavarian villages, the maypole is blue and white, corresponding to the national colors of Bavaria. On the sides of the maypole are attached images of everyday scenes that tell about the activities of the inhabitants of this village (crafts, fishing, hunting, inns, dances, etc.). Many legends and Bavarian traditions are associated with the maypole and its installation, so this building deserves a separate story.

In Bavarian villages, local beer festivals are held from early May to mid-August. Moreover, these events will take place on a special platform with benches, a dance stage and a place for the orchestra. In late autumn, when no Bavarian celebrations are expected, the leafy ground waits for its spring hour, when a series of festivities with folk dances and music, beer and sausages begins again in southern Bavaria.

The people in the local villages are conservative, friendly, polite and it is customary to say hello even to strangers. In Bavaria, when greeting, they say "Grüß Gott!", When greeting and parting - "Servus!" Village men most often greet each other and turn to the ladies "Habe die Ehre!" - "I have the honor!", while raising their hat a little.

In the part of the village where the peasants' houses are located, the architecture is special. The widespread use of natural wood is striking - carved balconies, roofs, sometimes the upper floor is completely made of wood. In this case, the bottom floor is white or light in color. Although there are peasant houses built entirely of gray stone - a local alpine rock. Regardless of the type building material, for peasant houses, shutters and wooden benches painted in a folklore manner are characteristic, standing on both sides at the main entrance to the house.

The house of a Bavarian peasant always consists of two parts - a dwelling and a cowshed adjacent to it, the entrance to which is also from the house itself. The top floor of the barn is built entirely of wood and is a hay store.

Large garden plots with many apple, pear and plum trees, agricultural machinery in the yard, roosters strutting around the yard, manure - well, what a village without it! - and stocks of firewood, securely sheltered from the vicissitudes of the weather - a typical picture that can be observed at a peasant's house.

As a rule, peasants own quite large plots of land and entire meadows on which cattle graze. As soon as I approached the grazing cows and turned to one of them, her curious friends immediately ran in and began to actively moo, as if telling me the latest village news and gossip. And then the coquette cows kindly agreed to pose.

A photo session with curly-haired and horned fashion models was interrupted by a call to a mobile phone. I was told that the car was ready for winter and that it could be picked up from the auto repair shop. The half-hour walk through the Bavarian countryside is over.

Olga Born
(Germany, Munich)

Lana Harrell. Dear readers!
If you have any questions for the author after the publication of this report, please send them, Olga Born will be happy to answer them.

Olga Born's previous story about Germany.

Oberammergau... For some reason, I just can't learn how to pronounce and write the name of this tiny town, or a large village in Bavaria.
Oberammergau is a very picturesque settlement in the foothills of the Alps, famous primarily for its painted houses.

But there is another feature that is unique to this village...

The history of the village of Oberammergau is dark, but with a happy ending.

Once upon a time in the Middle Ages, it was a very prosperous city. But in 1633 the plague came to Oberammergau.

The inhabitants of the town approached their trouble creatively. They began to mourn the dead with the help of a theatrical performance depicting the suffering and death of Christ. It seems like you are distracted and not so scary and sad.

Then the plague receded, then a vaccine was invented and the plague was completely wiped out, and the inhabitants of Oberammergau continue to put on their productions.

These performances are not simple. These are not even performances, but mysteries, a very rare phenomenon in itself.

Firstly, these productions do not take place often, but only once every ten (!!!) years.

Secondly, only those who were born in Oberammergau or have lived here for at least 20 years can participate.

Thirdly, the theatrical action lasts five and a half hours and consists of 16 acts.

Fourth, 1400 "actors" are employed in the mystery.

Fifth, all these "actors" a year before the performance begin to grow hair and facial hair corresponding to the role.

Here is a unique phenomenon that occurs only here. The next performance will take place in 2020, so hurry to see!

The frescoes on the houses in Oberammergau are also not anyhow, they are called Luftlmalyarai (Luftlmalerei) here.

In 1748, the artist Franz Zwink was born here, who later became famous for painting the facades of houses with extraordinary beauty. In Oberammergau, many houses have their own names. The house in which Frank Zwink lived was called "Zum Luftl", hence the name Luftlmalerei, which is now famous all over the world.

Paintings on plaster can be found on various subjects, but mainly on religious, fairy-tale or from the life of Bavarian peasants. There are also many paintings on the themes of the mysteries mentioned above.

It all looks, of course, very elegant.

In addition, the villagers believe that a beautifully painted house emphasizes the well-being of its owner.

The Pilate house is considered the most beautiful house. Built in 1775.

Judge's House. Looks rich.

There is an original fountain near the judge's house.

Dark medieval scenes are played in the decor of the fountain.

Church of Peter and Paul. Its bell tower is visible from all points of the village. Built in 1730-1742.

A typical Bavarian church, many of these were seen in the area. Inside is very beautiful.

For a country church, it's simply luxurious decoration, although I don't really like such magnificent, deliberate arching.

Cemetery near the church.

Today we will visit the Bavarian village, which is located in the Bavarian Alps near the border of Germany with Austria.

On the map of Germany you can see all the lands of the country, big cities Germany and the location of the state of Bavaria.

Most of the houses are built in the same style using environmentally friendly natural materials. The roofs of the houses are covered with tiles, even the outbuildings are covered with tiles. Look at how sleek everything is: a strong bridge, clean cars, no satellite dishes sticking out of the roofs, and rusty equipment is not lying around the houses and a forty-year-old tractor is not laid up.

Previously, the economy of Bavaria was based mainly on agriculture, but now the advanced industries are mechanical engineering and the chemical industry. Just think about it: the GDP of Bavaria with a population of 12.5 million people is 465 billion euros. It's like the GDP of Iraq, Belgium, Venezuela or the United Arab Emirates. Surely you know that BMW, Siemens, Audi, MAN come from Bavaria.

But do not think, since the leading industries have become engineering and chemical production, then the locals abandoned agriculture, it is not. Throughout Germany, farming and agricultural holdings are developed. There are 93,000 farms in Bavaria. In total, you will find 650,000 farms in Germany. I will continue to load you with numbers, approximately 50% of all areas of the region are used for needs Agriculture, this is a very high figure. You will hardly find a piece of uncultivated land in the region, while the government makes sure that forests and the natural habitat of wild animals are preserved.

Cows graze in the meadow. These are the same cows whose milk will be used to make delicious real cheeses in compliance with the technologies. Cows in these places can eat green grass, which means that milk and meat will be of the highest quality with a high content of proteins. Notice that the cow eats fresh green grass, does not run around in dirty barns or garbage dumps, and, therefore, does not rub her body against dirty places. As a result, in the future milk will not need to add a huge amount of antibiotics to disinfect it. Since we touched on the topic of cows, I will give some statistics: the number of cattle in Bavaria is 3 million. The number of pigs in Bavaria is 3.5 million. In total, the number of pigs in the world is 1 billion snouts. Russia accounts for 19 million pieces, for the whole of Germany 28 million. Well, slaughterhouses continue to work, their number is 2000 small and 45 large.

Depending on the region, all kinds of crops are grown in Germany, ranging from cereals and sugar beets to fruits. There are a lot of orchards in Germany. Farmers also produce milk, pork, beef, beer, and wine. Bavaria exports wheat, fruits, vegetables, hops, milk, cheese, beer and meat to other countries. This is not surprising, only 1 million tons of cheese are produced here per year!

As I said, the forests here are preserved and are not cut down, so hunting for wild boars, deer, chamois, and hares is common in Bavaria. Yes, yes, the Germans love to shoot and often go hunting or fishing.

The Germans have everything clearly, look at how the woodpile looks like.

The building of the local savings bank.

Farmer's house.

The road is lined with flowers.

Everywhere in the village there are flowers, lighting and signs, where the school, hotel and other necessary institutions are located.

Houses here are decorated not only with flowers, but also with cats.

This is a hotel sign. This region has a lot of interesting, romantic hotels with spas and stunning views of the Alps.

Glass bottles in Germany are handed over, if my memory serves me, the price of a bottle is 10-25 Euro cents. But these are in the parking lot, and no one guards or steals them.

It has its own fire station.

The cow continues to serenely eat grass in the alpine meadows, and our trip to Bavaria continues.

You may wonder why there are no people in the village? That's because the photos were taken on a weekend when most Germans go somewhere, spend time with family, grill meat at home, go hiking, go to football matches or meet friends. If you want to see the alpine villages live, then feel free to fly to Munich, and from there go to the small towns of Bavaria, since the Moscow-Munich flight

If you want to splurge heavily on souvenirs in Bavaria, then Oberammergau is the place for you. Picturesque Bavaria is a paradise for tourists: fabulous castles, mountains, green alpine meadows, air in which the aromas of herbs are mixed, lovely villages with invariably blooming balconies - a real idyll, pastoral.

And among all this idyllic picture there is a special place - the village of Oberammergau, located in a cozy place among mountains and forests, meadows and pastures. What is this UNESCO World Heritage Site and what is special about it? I will answer you: everything is special in it - houses, lifestyle, location, history. The places here are really luxurious: clean alpine air, greenery everywhere, and Mount Kofel rises above the village, which, if you have time, you can climb to see all the surroundings. By the way, they say that at the very top of the mountain there is a large wooden cross.

Oberammergau is called differently in tourist guides: the city of craftsmen, the open-air museum, the village of painted houses. Indeed, this is a unique place where traditional Bavarian crafts are carefully preserved, where almost every house is a work of art, and the history of a small village or town (honestly, I don’t dare to call this place a village) demonstrates the ingenuity and resourcefulness of its inhabitants. Indeed, using the example of Oberammergau, one can understand why Bavaria was and is one of the most prosperous lands in Germany - the Bavarians have a commercial streak in their blood.

But let's start in order. The first small settlement here arose in Roman times. The barbarian tribes of the Bayuvars lived here (by the way, it was they who gave the name to the land - Bavaria, and the Bavarians themselves do not really like it when they are called Germans. Bavarians and that's it.), Who founded the settlement in the 5th century. After 2 centuries, the local population converted to Christianity and these lands became part of the vast Frankish empire of Charlemagne.

Then the empire collapsed, but the village remained. Its inhabitants lived modestly and measuredly, engaged in agriculture and cattle breeding, grazed cows on the vast green slopes, until two monasteries were built one after the other, which radically changed the life of the village. First, Duke Welf IV founded a monastery for the Augustinians in Rottenbuch, just 20 kilometers from Oberammergau, then Emperor Ludwig of Bavaria founded nearby the incredible beauty of the Ettal Monastery, which became a place of pilgrimage thanks to the miraculous icon brought there.

The quick-witted inhabitants of Oberammergau realized how beneficial such a neighborhood is: firstly, during construction, they were all provided with work for many years, because a wide variety of artisans were required - from masons to wood carvers; and after the monasteries were built, they realized that it was possible to make good money on pilgrims who needed food, lodging for the night and, like today's tourists, were not averse to taking something away from here as a keepsake. So the inhabitants of Oberammergau came up with the idea of ​​carving various wooden figures on religious themes - both durable and light, just what pilgrims need. These figurines are still made and sold by local craftsmen.

In 1633, a terrible blow hit the village - first, the actions of the Thirty Years' War took place here (and medieval wars were particularly cruel), then the plague came. It must be said that plague, cholera and other infectious diseases were not uncommon for Europe, whose inhabitants, to put it mildly, were not too friendly with hygiene, unlike the Slavs, who regularly bathed in baths, which caused indignation and indignation among the same Europeans - "what barbarians and savages!". But back to Oberammergau: during the plague that killed most of the city's inhabitants, the remaining members of the community gathered in the local church, making a vow that if the plague recedes, every ten years they will arrange the mystery of the "Passion of the Lord", which will not be equal in everything white light. And a miracle, the plague receded. In memory of the terrible events from the history of Oberammergau, an unusual fountain with skeletons, a figure of death symbolizing the plague, and many other "charms" is installed in the center. Nevertheless, tourists always like to be photographed near the fountain.

Oberammergau has remained true to his vow to this day. For several centuries now, the inhabitants of the city have been organizing religious performances of unprecedented beauty and spectacle every ten years, and then for the next ten years they are preparing for a new performance. For several centuries, the tradition has acquired many requirements and conventions, turning into a real festival - "Passionspiel". In particular, only native residents of Oberammergau, or those who have lived here for at least 20 years, can take part in the action.

Another feature of the village is connected with this performance - its painted houses. A significant part of the houses are decorated with unusual paintings - mostly religious scenes or scenes from German fairy tales. This is due to the fact that the mystery, which tells about last days the earthly life of Christ, took place right under the open sky, and all the surrounding buildings, residential buildings served as decorations. So the inhabitants began to paint their houses with something like church frescoes. Plots from the life and history of the city, as well as from German fairy tales (The Bremen Town Musicians, Little Red Riding Hood, etc.) appeared a little later, and they are designed more for tourists. By the way, some buildings indicate when they were built and for whom. So, for example, on one of the houses the date 1775 is indicated and it is written that it was built for a judge; There is also a portrait of the owner.

Other buildings also have interesting murals, inscriptions, for example, one says that this is the building of the old post office. Many houses were named after the roles played by their owners in the mysteries. Thus, the owner of one of the houses played the role of Pilate for decades, then his son, grandson, and so on. So this house began to be called - the house of Pilate. There is also the house of Judas, also named for the same reasons.

For a long time, the performances were held in the open air, regardless of the weather, and ended in the local church. Only in 1930 was a large pavilion built for the mysteries (“Theater of Passions”), which, of course, cannot accommodate everyone. Therefore, according to tradition, in good weather, the performance, for which residents have been preparing for ten years, takes place on the street. By the way, in front of the pavilion there is a nice fountain with the image of Christ entering Jerusalem on a donkey. The Savior holds a palm branch in his hand, from which it follows that this sculpture depicts the events of Palm Sunday.

It must be said that the commercial vein suggested that some benefit could be drawn from this traditional performance, and today Oberamergau receives hundreds of thousands of tourists during the mystery. And nothing that the holiday takes place once every ten years - the rest of the time there is a brisk trade in souvenirs, because millions of tourists visit this village every year. It would not be an exaggeration to say that there is not a single house in Oberammergau that is not tourist-oriented: it is either a hotel, or a restaurant, or a souvenir shop, or a shop.

Let's go into one of them. So, we are in the Christmas toy store. Entering here, you find yourself in a fairy tale - something is constantly ticking here, bells are ringing, garlands are rustling, the sounds of a Christmas melody are heard from everywhere.

What is not here: collectible Christmas balls, and simpler Christmas tree decorations, and traditional cribs made of wood, Christmas stars, candlesticks and, of course, traditional Christmas pyramids. Here is one of them, we could not resist and bought, and this New Year She created a pleasant atmosphere in our house. It works simply: small candles are placed on special platforms with candlesticks below, at the top there are blades that start spinning because the air heats up and rises. Complementing all this cute presentation is a Christmas melody - insert the batteries, start the device, and enjoy. By the way, such pyramids, of course, are much larger in size, they have been installed for a long time on the squares of German cities, there are not only statues of Christ, the Madonna, various saints, but also carousel horses on which children ride.

I invite you to another store - a watch store, a variety of wood crafts and souvenirs. Here, the ticking and chiming of clocks, the cuckooing of cuckoos, some kind of calls, the feeling that you are in an old house or a museum of time are heard everywhere. Everything here is done exclusively by hand - in all shops: from Christmas toys to carved wooden clocks and porcelain figurines, again, on a religious theme.

In general, Oberammergau is a small locality, just a few streets, completely focused on tourists. You can go around these streets, if you do not look into every shop and every souvenir shop (and this is very difficult, because you walk as if in a museum of traditional crafts), you can take an hour, with peeps and stops - in two. The village itself is one of the successful examples of how religious zeal, respect for traditions and a favorable location can be turned into a very profitable business. By the way, Oberramergau is ready to receive guests in winter as well; there is a winter ski resort here.

Having walked around Oberammergau, having bought everything possible and impossible, we headed to the famous Ettal monastery, which, in fact, contributed to the prosperity of this village of craftsmen.

Hotels in fabulous Oberammergau

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Some sources claim that this is a small town, but by Russian standards it is still a village of only about 5,000 inhabitants.

This pretty Bavarian village became famous for its theatrical production of The Passion of Christ, which takes place every 10 years, and amazing painted houses. This painting technique has the scientific name "Luftlmalerei" Luftlmalerei, it was invented by a local artist - Franz Zwink, in the distant 18th century.

The colors do not lose their brightness for a long time and do not fall off the walls of houses, despite the Bavarian dampness, which we had the misfortune to see for ourselves. By the time we started our walk, the pouring rain had not stopped for more than a day and the temperature was only +12 degrees. It was 07/08/2014.

Performance of the Passion of the Christ or the Passionspiel Festival

The Passion of the Christ was staged for the first time in 1633. At this time, an epidemic of plague or black death, as the disease was also called, raged in Obberammengau. And the surviving villagers prayed in the church for salvation from a terrible disease and promised that if they survived, they would put on a performance of The Passion of the Christ every 10 years, and if they violate the oath, then may the Lord send a plague on them again. And the residents carefully stage the performance, for more than 380 years in a row. It is better not to tempt the Lord and not to break promises.

Only those born in Oberammengau or who have lived for at least 20 years are eligible to participate in the performance. The performance made its own adjustments to the appearance of the village. For example, many houses are painted with religious subjects.

House opposite the Old Post Office - facade

House opposite the Old Post - side view

The inscription on the house "ANNO DOMINI 1633" means from the Nativity of Christ, and the year 1633 is exactly the year in which the inhabitants played the scene of the Passion of Christ for the first time.

In our time, the tradition of staging performances has been put on a broad commercial footing. Up to half a million tourists come to the performance and tickets are sold out a year before the performance, up to 800 people are involved in extras, of course, all local hotels, of which there are many, are busy at this moment.

A special theater for performances was built in the town. The theater is not idle even between performances, Oberammengau is simply covered with posters inviting to the theater. We couldn't find out what the next performance will be about, because we don't know German. The theater has an exhibition of props and costumes used in the play.

Some houses were named after the role that the owner played in the production of The Passion of the Christ. There is the house of Pilate and the house of Judas. Roles were often inherited from father to son and so on.

The mountain in the background is Mount Kofel, 1342 meters high, there is a cross at the very top, but it didn’t turn out in the photographs, it’s too small. A hiking trail leads up the mountain, but unfortunately, due to the incessant rain, there was nothing to think about such a walk.

Church of St. Peter and Paul

Externally, the very modest church of St. Peter and Paul impresses with the splendor of its interior decoration. In Bavaria, probably, many churches look very modest from the outside and just great inside, the day before we already saw a church in which made the same impression.

A lot of church decor is made using the wood carving technique, this is a traditional craft in Oberammengau. In the village, in every souvenir shop you can buy a lot of figurines carved from wood, religious and fairy-tale motifs are popular. The elaboration of the details of small wooden figures is impressive, the accuracy and pedantry of the Germans is immediately visible in this craft.

Next to the church is the house of the forestry. There is also a water park and a large playground in Oberammengau, but again, due to weather conditions, these entertainments passed us by.

Cafe Hochenleitner Martin

Pretty cold and damp, we wandered into a very nice pastry shop.

Coffee with Amaretto, contributed to the discovery of a second wind. The cakes were just incredible. It turns out that this cafe has existed as a family business for 25 years and everything they serve to guests is made in their own confectionery shop.

The assortment includes several types of cakes and pastries, many different types of coffee, ice cream own production and candies.

In 2012, the young owner of the establishment won second place in the international competition of young confectioners of the world, and it’s just a village cafe, but it turns out what a famous one.

For lovers of sweets, a very pleasant place, a cozy interior and courteous service, what else can damp tourists wish for. There is a menu in English.

Bavarians are very religious. Right on the street you can find an altar in honor of the Holy Virgin Mary. Driving along rural roads, they saw crucifixes at crossroads, such crucifixes were installed to enable travelers to pray and ask for God's blessings on a long journey.

The local history museum on Dorfstrasse exhibits old German nativity scenes.

Oberammergau is a masterpiece village, where else can you find something like this. Magnificent open-air frescoes, an unbreakable tradition that is over 380 years old and ancient history, the village stands on the ancient path from Augsburg to Rome, on the same one as the one we visited the day before.

Archaeological research has shown that the oldest traces of civilization at the site of the village of Oberammergau date back to 100 BC. Modern houses are also decorated with traditional paintings.

We spent 3 hours exploring the village along with a visit to the confectionery, but many times we went to numerous shops and souvenir shops to warm up a bit and take a break from the rain. In Oberammengau there is a store of national Bavarian costumes, the prices there are high 200-300 euros per costume, artistic rubber boots are also sold there, it looks like rain is not uncommon there.