Sunday 2 September 2018

Ettal Abbey, Linderhof Palace and Oberammergau. 6 days in Bavaria. Places to visit and things to do.


A whole day was needed to visit the 3 places below and a car, although it can be reached by public transport and is just over an hour south of Munich.

Ettal Abbey/Kloster Ettal - A benedictine monastery with more than 50 monks. Founded in 1330 by emperor Ludwig the Bavarian. There's a car park, tea rooms and a gift shop. Guided tours are available.




Linderhof Palace - Built by Ludwig II, crowned in 1864, started building this palace in 1868. It was a former forester's house belonging to his father, it was originally used for hunting expeditions. Although the palace is much smaller than Versailles, it is evident that Ludwig was fascinated by the French Sun King Louis XIV, the staircase is a replica. The symbol of the sun is found everywhere in the decorations. Ludwig's bedroom facing north and shows a self image of him as the Night King. Photography is not permitted inside the palace.

The formal gardens are divided into 5 sections, with Neptune Fountain, Music Pavilion, a bust of Louis XIV, a sculpture of Venus and Adonis, a fountain and terraced gardens.  









Oberammergau known for it's woodcarvers, NATO school and across the world for its 380 year old Passion Play. 

The play resulted in a vow made by the inhabitants that if God spared them from the bubonic plague then they would perform a passion play for 10 years. A man travelling home for Christmas brought the plague with him and it started to spread, once the vow was made, no one else died and everyone suffering with the plague recovered.
The play is now only performed in years ending with a zero and is made up of around 2,000 resident 
actors.

As with all villages and towns in Bavaria the buildings are are famed for their Leftlmalerei or frescoes, of traditional Bavarian themes, fairy tales, religious scenes or architectural tromphe-l'oeil.





Omberammergau is also home to Käthe Wohlfahrt Christmas shops, selling traditional Christmas decorations and Bavarian crafts.



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