The Lüftlmalerei-Adorned Windows of Oberammergau, Germany

Oberammergau, Germany is famous for the colorful frescoes that adorn the exteriors of its homes and businesses. This painting technique is known as Lüftlmalerei.

Luft means ‘air’ in German. It’s believed that the term illustrates how fresco artists must work quickly to apply watercolor paint to the wet plaster before it dries in the open air.

During spring, summer, and autumn, Oberammergau’s colorful façades are enhanced by overflowing boxes of trailing flowers. And during the most grey of winter months, I find that the Lüftlmalerei inject a much-needed cheerful ambience to this chilly Alpine village.

The painting style grew in popularity in the 1700s in southern Germany and in Italy, as it was a way for residents to flaunt their success and wealth.

As I was compiling windows for this collage, I couldn’t resist including a window from my parents’ home.

Can you guess which one it is? :)

Where in the World?

Planning Pointers:

Oberammergau is located 90 km (55 miles) southwest of Munich. To get there by rail, research the Bayern Ticket (website is in German, but you can use Google Translate). As of 2021, these tickets start at €25 for one passenger, and cost €8 for each additional passenger. You can use the Bayern Ticket for most trains, trams, and city buses, making it a good deal if you’ll be doing a lot of exploring in one day. You can purchase tickets online, via a ticket machine, or in person.
Are you looking for a guesthouse or hotel in Oberammergau? Here is a round-up of hotels organized by theme.
The following link contains an index of all my posts from Germany, including visits to Neuschwanstein Castle and Schloss Linderhof. If you’re feeling adventurous while in Oberammergau, also consider climbing up to the top of Mount Kofel. And, art & culture lovers will likely enjoy a stop at the Pilatushaus, where artisans sometimes demonstrate their wares being made.

About the author

Hi! My name is Tricia Mitchell. I delight in telling stories about my slow travels through more than 65 countries. Some of my highlights have included sharing meals with locals in Armenia, Cambodia, and Tunisia; sipping sparkling wine with French cousins in Alsace; milking goats in a sleepy Bulgarian village; and training with a Japanese mine-clearance team in Laos. My husband, Shawn, and I are based in France’s Loire Valley.

39 responses to “The Lüftlmalerei-Adorned Windows of Oberammergau, Germany”

travelerlynne

October 20, 2013

These are all lovely, Tricia, making it hard to guess. Nice way for fresco artists to display their talents.

1. Tricia A. Mitchell
  
  October 20, 2013
  
  Lynne, I was just being playful by putting that challenge at the end – of course there’s no way for you to know. :) Theirs is the center window on the bottom row.
  
Beauty Along the Road

October 20, 2013

Beautiful art work! I didn’t realize that your parents lived in Germany. Are they German?

1. Tricia A. Mitchell
  
  October 20, 2013
  
  Annette, yes, they’ve been in Bavaria for the past few years. We’re a mishmash of ethnicities (including German) but we are American. :)
  
  The art work is pretty impressive, isn’t it? My parents are already debating how they’ll find an artist to touch up their house’s Lüftlmalerei in the next few years.
  
restlessjo

October 20, 2013

These are all gorgeous, Tricia! Back in your Winter home :)

1. Tricia A. Mitchell
  
  October 20, 2013
  
  Jo, whimsical details like these certainly make it fun to explore this part of Bavaria. Funny, though we did get snow recently, this won’t be our ‘winter home’ this year. We’re leaving Germany in December (to an undecided location) so we’ll have to enjoy the memories of last year’s snow. :) I do hope we’ll get to one or two Christmas markets before we leave.
  
Phil Lanoue

October 20, 2013

What a marvelous collection of windos! Very nicely done!

1. Tricia A. Mitchell
  
  October 23, 2013
  
  Many thanks, Phil! They represent a variety of buildings – everything from a mom & pop shoe store, to inns, private homes, restaurants and a forest management building.
  
donnamh92

October 20, 2013

Such a beautiful place! I love all the painting. I blogged about this place just recently too…. Hopefully this is the link if I did it right!

1. Tricia A. Mitchell
  
  November 3, 2013
  
  Donna, glad you’ve been enjoying your grand tour of Bavaria! Thank you for sharing your tales from the region.
  
Silvana

October 20, 2013

Hi Trish, this is a pretty cool collage that you made and those frescoes are amazing and fun to watch….are you still in Germany?

1. Tricia A. Mitchell
  
  October 20, 2013
  
  Silvana, mille grazie for stopping by – it’s really nice to hear from you! Yes, we’re still in Germany (at least until December). I have such fond memories of our Heidelberg work days and my mini Italian lessons. I’m off to check out your news now. :)
  
Browsing the Atlas

October 20, 2013

These are so pretty, and neat, and clean. I feel like I’m looking at windows you might find on a dollhouse!

1. Tricia A. Mitchell
  
  October 23, 2013
  
  Juliann, it’s funny you mention them being dollhouse-like, because last year, one of the homes in the village decorated their window interiors with vintage dollhouse furniture and scenes. It was quite charming. What talent the artists have for being able to so expertly paint these beautiful scenes and swirls!
  
ruthincolorado

October 21, 2013

I would be tempted to stay until January. I think the winter holidays in Germany are magical. Fun post, Tricia. ;)

1. Tricia A. Mitchell
  
  October 23, 2013
  
  “Magical” is the perfect way to describe the Christmas season in Germany, Ruth. We were lucky enough to be here in Oberammergau last winter, and took in a few holiday markets. When I was in Heidelberg, I lived just a few meters from all the Christmas Market stands, so warming up with Glühwein was a regular event. :) Just your mention of Christmas markets makes me hungry for Potato Pancakes with Apple Sauce (Kartoffelpuffer mit Apfelmus). Do you have any favorite fest foods?
  
  1. ruthincolorado
    
    October 27, 2013
    
    Love potato pancakes! Although I never liked stollen as a child, I really like it now. Also lebkuchen. ;)
  2. Tricia A. Mitchell
    
    October 28, 2013
    
    The Lebkuchen and other Christmas goodies hit the grocery store shelves about two weeks ago. We’d always talked about visiting the Lebkuchen factories near Nürnberg when my parents lived not far from there, but didn’t make it. It’d be fun to see the behind-the-scenes of how it’s made. What do you usually pair Stollen with? Like you, I don’t think I was much of a fan as a child, and I’m wondering if I’d like it now (if I could find a gluten-free version).
Darlene

October 21, 2013

I love these windows with the Lüftlmalerei. I wanted to guess the middle picture of the third row was your parents’ window. Somehow I thought your parents would have green shutters. I’m not sure why i thought that. Thanks for sharing these awesome pictures.

1. Tricia A. Mitchell
  
  November 12, 2013
  
  Darlene, I’m not sure how your message got buried in the Spam folder, but I wanted to send belated thanks for your warm feedback. :) It’s funny that you – and coincidentally several others – guessed which window / Lüftlmalerei decoration is from my parents’ house. I’m curious how long the average Lüftlmalerei decoration lasts before another artist needs to touch it up or re-do it? I think their home was last touched up in the ’80s, but some of them in town have a really special patina.
  
valeriedavies

October 21, 2013

The town must be absolutely enchanting – when it isn’t filled with visitors – is the miracle play still every ten years?
have you seen it?

1. Tricia A. Mitchell
  
  October 23, 2013
  
  Valorie, with its Hansel & Gretel-like houses, handsome mountains, and untouched landscapes, Oberammergau is something right out of the pages of a fairy tale. And yes, they still hold the Passion Play every ten years. The next one will be in 2020, and I hope we’ll get a chance to see it then. My parents just moved here last year, and it’s fun to imagine which one of their neighbors or acquaintances might be in a starring role the next time around. :)
  
alessandro ciapanna

October 21, 2013

Lovely and – i don’t know how i knew, but i knew it was the one with the green blinds. :)

1. Tricia A. Mitchell
  
  October 27, 2013
  
  You’re a man of many talents, Alessandro. :)
  
larkycanuck

October 21, 2013

very nice. hope you will check out my similar post on balconies of Lima, Peru.

1. Tricia A. Mitchell
  
  October 29, 2013
  
  Glad you enjoyed the collage, Larkycanuck. I’m off to explore yours now. :)
  
corneliaweberphotography

October 22, 2013

Tricia, lovely images of the Lueftlmalerei, I guessed that the middle image in the center row is your parents window, because the windows are open, so thought you might have opened them.
Liebe Gruesse von Cornelia

1. Tricia A. Mitchell
  
  October 23, 2013
  
  Servus, Cornelia, und danke schön! Did your childhood home also have Lüftlmalerei? My parents are lucky to have been given some vintage photographs of their home, and it was interesting to see how the Lüftlmalerei was painted differently through the decades. We think their home is from the mid to late 1800s, but we’re not certain.
  
  1. corneliaweberphotography
    
    October 25, 2013
    
    Guten Morgen Tricia, the home I grew up in Munich my father had buit it himself in 1957, no Lueftlmalerei. Your parents are so lucky to live in such a house, like what they would call her in the US a landmark house, but I am sure it requires a lot of maintenance.Did you get dusts of snow yet, I bet it’s cold by now. If I had wings I would fly over to Garmisch to my family and meet you.
  2. Tricia A. Mitchell
    
    October 27, 2013
    
    Cornelia, landmark homes certainly are a labor of love! Surprisingly, we had quite a snowfall about 2 weeks ago. I’m not certain how much, but it was a heavy snow when it came to shoveling. In the weeks since that early delivery of snow, we’ve had pretty spectacular weather – mid 60s, sunshine and beautiful autumn colors. (I know this isn’t unusual for Californians. :) I think that weather trend is set to change later this week, though, with freezing temps projected. I do hope that someday soon our paths will cross, Cornelia – on either side of the Atlantic.
the eternal traveller

October 23, 2013

We were fascinated by all the painted buildings in Bavaria. They are all so pretty and we would often walk around just looking at each one and taking more and more photos. How lovely.

1. Tricia A. Mitchell
  
  October 27, 2013
  
  Carol, it’d be fun to see your set of images from Bavaria. :)
  
jingsandthings

October 23, 2013

I love the way these architectural features make places distinctive in a world where so much conforms to a bland norm. I remember years ago being fascinated by the doors in Amsterdam and taking lots of photographs of them.

1. Tricia A. Mitchell
  
  October 23, 2013
  
  I agree, Dorothy – such Old World whimsical details make Europe a delight to explore. Perhaps someday you’ll treat your readers to your gallery of Dutch doors? :)
  
Jamie Donahoe

October 25, 2013

Reblogged this on Preservation Journey and commented:
One of those posts filled with photos that I just had to share….

Rachael

November 3, 2013

Gorgeous, again. I seem to be running out of superlatives here. :)

1. Tricia A. Mitchell
  
  November 3, 2013
  
  You’re too kind, Rachael. Thank you – though I must credit the buildings’ brilliant artists, for I was merely the medley-maker. :)
  
anotherday2paradise

January 15, 2014

What gorgeous windows, Tricia. Thank you for sharing these. :)

1. Tricia A. Mitchell
  
  January 17, 2014
  
  Sylvia, I wish I could come close to creating such beauty! Since I’m not a painter, it was fun ‘collecting’ some of my favorite windows here. :) Have you been to Germany?