Oberammergau is famous for its Passion Play which was first performed in 1634. In the middle of the 30 Years War, after months of suffering and dying from the the "Black Death," or plague, surviving villiagers swore an oath to perform a "Play of the Suffering, Death and Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ" every ten years.  The Play, originally made up of just actors from the villiage itself, has grown to a stage production comprised of almost 2,000 performers, singers, musicians and stage technicians.  The Play is performed in the 5,000 seat Passion Play Theater with it´s open air stage.  The next Passion Play is in 2010.

Oberammergau is also world famous for its woodcarvings and "Luftmalerei," or frescoes, of traditional Bavarian or religious-themed scenes found on many home and buildings.