Oberammergau Passion Play 2030, Martin Luther and the German Reformation

Arrive Munich

On arrival, you will be met and transferred to your 4* hotel in Munich for the next 2 nights with bed and breakfast included.

Munich Sightseeing and afternoon at leisure

After breakfast and accompanied by a local guide, enjoy a sightseeing bus tour of Munich’s top sights including the Olympic Park and the gardens of King Ludwig’s fairytale Royal Nymphenburg Palace.  See and hear stories of the Kongisplatz, the English Garden many of Munich’s museums and galleries and iconic landmarks.    After the bus tour, enjoy a walking tour of the old city centre including views of the Residenz, Opera House, Marienplatz, the Rathaus with it’s famous clock, and a visit of either St. Peter’s Church or the Frauenkirche, Munich’s Cathedral.

The rest of the day is free to explore Munich old town at your leisure before returning to the hotel.  Munich has a wide variety of churches offering daily and Sunday masses.  The city’s most prominent Catholic cathedrals and historic parishes host morning and evening services in German, as well as English speaking masses and traditional Latin rites for visitors and expats.

Suggested optional visit:  The Residenz – the largest city palace in Germany is located in central Munich and was originally built as a fortress but became the official residence of the Bavarian Royals for over 400 years with grand guest rooms, courtyards, a concert hall and stables.  This is now open as a museum and you can admire the frescoes, antique collections and luxurious interiors.  The complex of buildings contains ten courtyards and displays 130 rooms.  Entrance fee is not included (pay locally) and tours are self-guided.

Travel to Oberammergau – Lake Cruise, Ettal Abbey and a Fairytale Palace

Depart Munich after breakfast, by coach, travelling through the Bavarian countryside to Oberammergau.  Enroute we will have leisurely one (1) hour cruise from Starnberg to Tutzing on the picturesque Starnberger Lake.

We continue by coach to the village of Ettal for some free time and lunch (not included).  Optional visit for prayer or contemplation maybe possible at the  spectacular Ettal Abbey, founded in 1330 and restored in the Baroque style in the 18th century.  The monastic buildings include a basilica, monastery, school, restaurant, shop and brewery.

In the afternoon we will visit the amazing fairytale Palace of Linderhof including an official palace guided tour.  Renovated in the style of a 19th century French chateau by the eccentric King Ludwig II, this spectacular Baroque palace is also known as ‘Little Versailles’.  The interior features lavish furnishings and decor and the spectacular gardens offer fountains, lawns and symmetric flower arrangements.

After the visit we will continue to the Oberammergau region and check in at our hotel for the next 2 nights.  Dinner in the hotel is included this evening.

Oberammergau Passion Play Day

After breakfast, we will have a full day in Oberammergau with an optional morning visit to the Passion Play Theatre for an introduction talk by one of the cast members to learn about the production of the Passion Play.  After, there will be free time to explore this picturesque village with the beautifully painted houses, shops and buildings, as well as the Rococo church and many wood-carving shops.

Lunch will be included in one of the local restaurants before we take our seats for the first half of the Passion Play performance which is followed by a 3-hour interval during which time we will enjoy a 3-course dinner with drinks before the second half commences.

At the end of the play, which is around 10.30pm, we return to the hotel (either on foot or private transfer).

Oberammergau – Augsburg – Wittenberg

We will depart after breakfast and start our journey in the footsteps of Martin Luther.  Our first stop will be the ancient city of Augsburg, the place where the important document the ‘Augsburg Confession’ was presented.  In 1518 Martin Luther stayed here with the Carmelite friars when he was in town to meet the papal legate, Cardinal Cajetan, who demanded that Luther submit to the pope. St. Anne’s Church converted to Lutheranism in 1545.  We will make a visit and tour of the church which was founded in 1321 by Carmelite monks and which went on play a role in the history of the Reformation. It is notable for its fine works of art and its Luther museum.

After the visit there will be time to get some lunch before continuing on our journey to the Wittenberg area for the next 2 nights. Bed and breakfast is included.

Eiselben and “Lutherstadt” Wittenberg

A professional guide will accompany us on our visits and tour today.  The first stop will be Eiselben where Luther was born in 1483 and died in 1546.  His birthplace, the Luther House, is now a museum and provides insights into his childhood and youth.  In the nearby Sterbehaus, the focus is on his death.  Many manuscripts indicate that Luther felt a special affinity with Eiselben.  We will see St. Andrew’s Church where he preached his last sermon, the Luther Monument and St. Anne’s Church with famous biblical scenes hewn in stone.  Like most sites in the area, they are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Luther Memorials” since 1996.

After time for lunch our journey will continue  to Wittenberg where Martin Luther lived and taught for 36 years.  You will see the Castle Church door where, in 1517, Luther posted his 95 theses, giving birth to the Reformation.  Although the original doors were destroyed, you will see Luther’s texts cast in bronze on the new doors.  We will also visit St. Mary’s Church where he regularly preached and visit the Old Latin School next door.  A visit will also be made to the Luther House, the greatest museum of Reformation History in the world which contains some of his own personal library, rare manuscripts and early bibles.   Several festivals relating to the Reformation take place in the town every year.

There will be some time to explore the town independently before returning to the hotel.

Erfurt – Studies and Monastic Life

After breakfast, we will depart Wittenberg and travel to Erfurt for the next 2 nights.  Bed and breakfast is included.

In the afternoon, and with a professional guide, we will make a tour of some of the key sites surrounding the time that Luther studied in Erfurt.  He earned his master’s degree at the University and began to study theology intensively and joined the Augustinian order.  We will visit the monastery where Luther lived and worked as a monk for 6 years and also the monastery church, St. Severin’s, where he preached, as he did in St. Mary’s Cathedral.  All this was in preparation for his Reformation mission.

If time allows, why not make a visit to The Krämerbrücke (Merchants’ bridge), a medieval arch bridge which is lined with half timbered shops and houses on both sides of a cobblestone street. It is one of the few remaining bridges in the world that have inhabited buildings.

 Eisenach and Wartburg Castle

First, we will visit Wartburg Castle.  After Luther’s failure to recant at the Diet of Worms and his defiant confession before the emperor, he was condemned as a heretic and went into hiding in nearby Wartburg Castle where he remained for 10 months.  Whilst here, he translated the New Testament into German.  We will visit the castle and see where Luther spent his time and gain an insight into his study and original manuscripts.

Return to Eisenach where Luther spent his school days from 1498 to 1501 in what is now the Luther House museum. It has been regarded as a major site of Reformation history since the early nineteenth century and where you can learn more about Luther’s famous translation of the Bible in a permanent exhibition. It is here also that you can see the baptismal register entry for Johann Sebastian Bach, as Eisenach was his birthplace.

Spend some time exploring the town before returning to the hotel.

‘Diet of Worms’ and Frankfurt

Depart after breakfast for the city of Worms where in April 1521, Martin Luther came to defend his beliefs rather than to negotiate in front of Emperor Charles V and the Diet (assembly) of the Holy Roman Empire.   We will meet up with a local guide for a tour of the sights that have a direct connection to Luther and the Reformation such as the Trinity Memorial Church and the Luther Monument, the world’s largest monument to the Reformation.  Bronze reliefs depicting scenes from the Reformation adorn the inner plinth of the monument.

If time allows, make a visit to Heylshof Park where you can literally step into Luther’s shoes, a large bronze sculpture, at the spot where he stood more than 500 years ago to defend his beliefs.

After lunch we will continue to our Frankfurt hotel for one night including bed and breakfast.

Transfer to Frankfurt Airport

Transfer to Frankfurt Airport for your return flight.