© Ammergauer Alpen GmbH, Photo: Florian Wagner

Old craft 

© Bernd Ritschel

Wood sculpture

The roots of wood carving in the Ammertal lie in the 12th century. 400 years later, the wooden works, from figures of saints to children's toys and crucifixes, were already being sold throughout Europe. Guests can immerse themselves in the history of the ancient craft in the Oberammergau Museum. If you then walk through Oberammergau, you will also find local carvings in the workshops and shops - sometimes traditional, sometimes modern. The carving craft is also represented in the other places in the Ammertal. Many of the artisans were trained in the Oberammergau wood sculpture school.

The Lüftl painting

In Oberammergau in particular, the brightly painted facades of the houses catch the eye. The town is not only known for the Passion Play, but also for Lüftlmalerei – an old craft that has been known since ancient times.

The colorful pictures on the houses were not just for decoration: saints and other religious motifs on the facades were meant to protect the house. Other paintings, however, were meant to create an illusion that the architecture did not actually provide: columns, windows, stairs or doors. 

Franz Seraph Zwinck from Oberammergau, one of the best Lüftl painters of the 18th century, created many of these masterpieces. Among them are the painting on the Pilatushaus, but also paintings in the other places in the Ammergau Alps Nature Park.

© MoorSymphonie

The peat cutting

Today, peat is only mined in limited quantities for the health-promoting mud baths. In the past, however, peat was used as fuel, as insulation material, for lining baby beds (dry peat binds moisture and odor) or as bedding in stables.

A drainage ditch had to be dug at the extraction site days before the peat was cut. During the extraction itself, L-shaped knives were used to cut even pieces of around 10 cm x 10 cm x 30 cm in size and then laid out and stacked to dry. The pieces were re-stacked every 5 weeks until they were completely dry after around 4 months. Because peat is normally so saturated with water, its weight after drying is only about an eighth of its original weight.

In Bad Bayersoien in the Ammergau Alps Nature Park, those interested can learn how peat was created and how it was mined at a "peat cutting demonstration". You can also cut and stack the peat yourself.

© Municipality of Unterammergau, Ammergauer Alpen GmbH

The whetstone making shop

Making whetstones is a tradition in Unterammergau. There are still many quarries everywhere in the area around Unterammergau. The whetstone makers earned their living with this craft for over 500 years.

The “Historical Working Group” operates the last fully functional grinding mill in the gorge and thus keeps traditional crafts alive.

 

The charcoal burning

The Fire and Flame faction has no doubts: charcoal belongs on the grill. But how does this actually come about?

Charcoal burning is an ancient craft that has been practiced in the Ammergau Alps since the Middle Ages. Not a particularly prestigious profession back then, as you can imagine given the dust, soot and heat (up to 400 degrees Celsius).

The oldest technology for producing charcoal is kilns. Logs are stacked into cone-shaped piles and covered on top. Heating in the absence of air causes the wood to char.

You can watch the annual charcoal burning days in Bad Kohlgrub – from lighting the kiln to “harvesting” the charcoal. There is also a hearty festival program in town and delicious products for home in the farm shop.