Ettaler Straße
This “Forsthaus,” or the “Forester’s Lodge,”as it is known today, at Ettaler Straße 3, was originally built in 1753 or 1763 as a private home for curate priest Joseph Ignaz Daser (1724 – 85).
It became the Ettal Monastery’s Richterhaus, or “Judge’s House,” some time between 1785 and 1803.
Around 1785, its outer walls were painted by Franz Seraph Zwinck with images corresponding to its religious and court purpose.
Since 1830, it has been home to the State Forest Management office, hence its current name.
Hartmann painted the front façade’s forest themes incorporating the style of the Lüftlmalerei already painted earlier by Zwinck. Like Zwinck, Hartmann painted his framed figures in grisaille, a style of painting in shades of grey imitating the look of stone sculpture, with a reddish marble background.
On the gable end, allegorical depictions tell of hunting life, and on the long sides putti symbolize the corporal works of mercy and the five senses.1
On the front of Ettaler Straße 3, various putti depicting hunting scenes, with the goddess Diana prominently in the center, painted by Franz Hartmann in 1899.
On the north wall of Ettaler Straße 3, putti demonstrate the seven Catholic Corporal Works of Mercy: feeding the hungry and giving water to the thirsty (Matthew 25:35, here combined into a single image), clothing the naked (Matthew 25:36), visiting the imprisoned (Matthew 25:35), shelter the homeless (Matthew 25:35), visiting the sick (Matthew 25:36), and burying the dead (Matthew 25:40), all painted by Franz Seraph Zwinck around 1785.
On the south wall, putti representing the Five Senses and their potential paths to sin: “Sight,” “Sound,” “Smell,” “Taste,” “Touch,” and then two representing “Heaven” and “Earth,” all painted by Franz Seraph Zwinck around 1785.
On the back, images of people looking out from false windows painted by Franz Seraph Zwinck around 1775. While the people painted here may look like they are wearing costumes now, their clothing would have seemed commonplace when Zwinck first painted them.
At Ettaler Straße 8, the former “Gasthof Weisses Lamm” (the “White Lamb Inn”), a Lüftlmalerei of Jesus and John the Baptist with a white lamb, painted by an unknown artist at an unknown date.
Around the corner, an image of the Ettal Madonna.
At Ettaler Straße 10, various saints are painted above the windows, above the door Anna Selbdritt, with “Christus im Schoße Gottvaters,” or “Christ in the bosom of God the Father,” above them all, all originally painted by Franz Seraph Zwinck around 1770.2
These paintings were present in 1908, according to Franz Joseph Bronner, but, at least in his book, unlike other frescoes, the historian did not specifically attribute them to Zwinck.3
The Lüftlmalerei in the gable facing the street at Ettaler Straße 12 depicts two angels carrying the House of Loreto over the sea. Saint Gregory the Miracle Worker, patron saint of a nearby chapel in Oberammergau, is standing on the beach to the left. On the right Saint Anthony of Padua gives his sermon to the fishes. The whole scene is viewed under the protection of the image of the Madonna of Ettal.
According to Franz Joseph Bronner’s 1908 book, Von Deutscher Sitt’ und Art, this mural was originally painted by Franz Seraph Zwinck in 1783.4
For the Passion Play in 1900, the building was enlarged and an additional story was added. This painting was transferred from the second floor to the third by a painter from Füssen.
In 1982, it was restored by artist Rainer Wagner.5
As legend has it, in 1291, Mary’s home in Nazareth was removed from its foundation and transported by angels across the Mediterranean Sea to the small town of Trsat in present day Croatia. The priest at the local church was surprised at the appearance of a small building, and, in a dream, Mary appeared to him and told him that it was her house. On the night of December 10, 1294, the house disappeared again and was moved across the Adriatic Sea to Loreto, Italy, where it sits to this day in the Basilica della Santa Casa (“Basilica of the Holy House”).
In 1737 and 1748, the town of Oberammergau was devastated by overflowing rivers. In 1750, the parish elected Saint Gregory the Miracle Worker, the protector from floods, as its own patron saint. In 1765, the parish built the nearby chapel of Saint Gregory.
At Ettaler Straße 17, there are a number of distinctive Lüftlmalerei, all painted by an unknown artist at an unknown date.
In the gable at the very top, an image of the “Transfiguration of Christ.” In the New Testament, there is a moment when Jesus and three of his apostles, Peter, James, and John, go to a mountain to pray. On the mountaintop, Jesus begins to shine with bright rays of light, and Old Testament figures of Moses and Elijah appear to him. (Matthew 17:1-8, Mark 9:2-8, and Luke 9:28-36).
At the top left, an image of Jesus carrying a cross and quote by him to his disciples, “Wer mir nachfolgen will verleugne sich selbst, er nehme sein Kreuz und sich und folge mir nach”, or, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).
At the bottom left, an image of Saint Paul standing beside Saint Stephen. According to the New Testament, Paul, before he became a Christian Apostle, was named Saul of Tarsus and actually participated in the persecution of early followers of Jesus. He was present for the trial of the first Christian martyr, Saint Stephen, who had been accused of blasphemy by Jewish authorities. When Stephen denounced those authorities, furious, they “dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ Then he fell on his knees and cried out, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ When he had said this, he fell asleep.” (Acts 7:57-60)
In the bottom center, an image of Saint Francis of Assisi (1181– 1226), the patron saint of animals and the environment. According to the “Fioretti” (“Little Flowers”), a collection of legends written after his death, one day, while Francis was traveling with some companions, they happened upon a place where birds filled the road. Francis told his companions to wait, and he began speaking with the birds. While he talked, not one flew away.
Around the window on the right, an image of a Franciscan monk praying before an open book beside a crumbling building. Legend has it, Francis came to Christianity only after a vision where he heard Christ speak to him. What he heard Jesus say is written in the book here, “Euch hin Franziskus, stell mein Haus wieder her, das wie du siehst zu zerfallen droht!” or, “Francis, restore my house, which you see is in danger of falling apart!”
At Ettaler Straße 18, a winged bull, the symbol for Saint Luke, patron saint of artists, painted by the owner of the building, Ernst Bierling, in 1997.6
In Renaissance art, the four Evangelists, authors of the four Gospels of the New Testament, were represented as winged creatures: Matthew, a Winged Man; Mark, a Winged Lion; Luke, a Winged Ox; and John, an Eagle. These symbols come from the creatures envisioned in the Book of Ezekiel and in the Book of Revelation (Ezekiel 1:3-10 and Revelations 4:6-7).
Hidden on the side of Ettaler Straße 18 is the image of an island with a waterfall.
At Ettaler Straße 21, at the very top in the gable, an image of Saint Mary painted by Rainer Wagner in 1983.
This popular image of Mary is based on the passage in the Bible describing a vision in the Revelation of John (Rev 12:1) of “a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.” In Catholic art, as here, the Mother of God also often stands with her foot on a snake. This comes from Genesis 3:15, when God cursed the snake in the Garden of Eden, saying “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
Facing the street, the window surrounds were also painted by Rainer Wagner in 1983.
Above the upper windows are busts of people connected with the Passion Play. From the left: Father Ferdinand Rosner (who wrote the 1750 script), Father Othmar Weis (who rewrote the script in 1811), Rochus Dedler (who wrote new music in 1811), and Father Joseph Alois Daisenberger (director and writer of the 1850 script).
Between the upper and lower windows, putti representing: the Birth of Christ, the Eucharist, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection. 7
On the West side of the building, at the left, a portrait of Saint Luke, the patron saint of painters, with the artist’s signature and the year the Lüftlmalerei were painted in Roman numerals: 1980. On the right, a cartouche with the inscription: “Christian Wagner, woodcarver.”8
On the East side, a depiction of Saint Gisela, the name-saint of the artist’s sister-in-law; Saint Christian, the name-saint of the artist’s brother; and Saint Veronica, the name-saint his niece.9
At Ettaler Straße 25, a depiction of Saint Christopher and the signature of the artist, “Rainer Wagner,” and the date it was painted in Roman numerals, “1982.”
“Fensterumrahmungen,” or window surrounds, at Ettaler Straße 29.
Ettaler Straße 31.
At Ettaler Straße 33, a panorama painted by R. Schönberger around 1975.
Oberammergau sits in a valley in the shadow of the Kofel, a 1,342 m (4,403 ft) tall mountain. Its distinctive rocky face is often seen in the background of murals of the town, such as this one on the wall of the hotel Gästehaus Enzianhof. Enzian, for which the hotel is named, is the German word for trumpet gentians, dark blue flowers native to the Alps, which are also prominently in bloom in its Lüftlmalerei.
Ettaler Straße 41 is covered in fairytale Lüftlmalerei painted by Richard Throll in 1922 and Max Strauss in 1926. After WWI, German-American opera singer Marie Mattfeld fundraised money in the United States for the care of orphaned children in Germany. In 1922, she helped to found this “Hansel and Gretel Home.” Her portrait is painted on the front in the center.
Still in operation, other nearby houses were added to the organization over the years, each with its own fairytale theme.
In the center facing the street, an image of “Anna Selbdritt,” or “The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne,” by Max Strauss in 1926. This depiction of Christ with his mother and grandmother – a sort of feminine Trinity – has been popular in Germany since the 14th century.
The banner beneath reads, “O heilige Anna, du gabst uns Maria, die Mutter der Welt, Betreue auch uns, dass keines je fälscht!”, or, “Oh Saint Anne, you gave us Mary, the Mother of the World, take care of us too, that none ever falters!”
The original Brothers Grimm story was not written in rhyme. Except for the line, “Knusper, knusper, kneischen! Wer knuspert mir am Häuschen?” which came from Ludwig Bechsteins 1856 Deutschem Märchenbuch, and not the Brothers Grimm, the words beside the scenes in this Lüftlmalerei might be the artists’ own.
“Gottvertrauen, froher Sinn // bringen Glück uns und Gewinn”, or “Trust in God with joyful sense // will bring us happiness and recompense”.
“Vergiss nicht das Gebet der Nacht // Dann halten Englein bei dir Macht!”, or “Do not forget the nightly prayer // when angels listen with great care!”
“Knusper-knusper Knäus’chen // wer knuspert an mei’m Häuschen?”, or “Nibble nibble little mouse, // who is nibbling on my house?”
“Nicht jeder der dir freundlich tut // Meint es im Herzen mit dir gut”, or “Not everyone who treats you kind // has your best interest on their mind”.
“Lasst Mut und Hoffnung niemals sinken // So lange Gottes Sternlein blinken”, or “Never let courage or hope sink // so long as God’s little stars blink”.
“Dass Bosheit niemals siegen kann, // Sieht man hier diesem Bilde an.”, or “That wickedness can never win // is seen in the picture set within.”
“In deinem Schuß, in deiner Hut, // Da ist uns Kindlein wohl zu mut”, or “In thy bosom, in thy care, // little children find their courage there”.
“Es wendet Sorg und Leid und Not // zum Guten stets der liebe Gott!”, or “The dear Lord always turns to good // the pain and woe and want you withstood!”
Just next door, at Ettaler Straße 41a, images from the story “The Wolf and the Seven Little Goats” painted by an unknown artist at an unknown date.
Besides the Fensterumrahmungen at Ettaler Straße 42, a fatalistic inscription:
“Wir leben so dahin und nehmen’s nicht in acht daß jeder Augenblick das Leben kürzer macht“, or:
“We live like this and don’t take it into account that every moment makes life shorter”!
At Ettaler Straße 48, scenes from the story “Little Red Riding Hood” painted by Max Strauss in 1953.
“Das rote Käppchen hüt es fein, // Und halte euch dein Herz stets rein!” or, “Keep your red hood clean, // and your heart will then remain serene!”
“Nimm Kuchen und Wein und eil geschwind // Zur Großmutter hin, mein liebes Kind!” or, “Take cake and wine through the wild // to your grandmother, my dear child!”
“Von Schmeichlern lass dich nie betören, // Sollst immer auf die Mutter hören!” or, “Do not be fooled by any other, // always listen to your mother!”
“Großmutter, was ist heut mit dir los? // Warum sind deine Augen und der Mund so groß?” or, “Grandmother, is something wrong? // Why are your eyes and mouth so long?”
“Der liebe Gott lohnt alles gut, // Was man an Armen und Kranken tut!” or, “The dear Lord always turns to good // what the needy and the sick withstood!”
At Ettaler Straße 48a, scenes from the story “The Town Musicians of Bremen” painted by Christina Dichtl in 2008.10
According to the artist, she contacted the childrens’ home asking if she could paint a mural on the outside. The organization asked for the Musicians from Bremen motif, but each of the children living at the “Sunshine Home,” as it was called at the time, also requested one other animal, each of which Dichtl painted standing one on top of the other, just like the characters from the fairytale.11
At Ettaler Strße 66, an unusual Lüftlmalerei painted by Christina Dichtl in 2020.
The image in this mural comes from the page of Wilhelm Busch‘s illustrated book Max und Moritz, published in 1865. According to the artist, the owners of this home grew up with the book and, when they built this home in Oberammergau, wanted to uphold the tradition of Lüftlmalerei painting while honoring their early childhood.12
A bit like a Dr. Seuss story in the United States, Busch wrote and illustrated a series rhyming couplets in German about two mischievous boys who played pranks on their elders.
In the picture, here, as a widow cooks some chicken, the two boys sneak onto her roof and steal the chicken using a fishing pole down the chimney. The widow, who doesn’t see the boys snatch the food with a fishing pole, hears her dog (“Spitz” in the English version) barking and hurries upstairs. When she finds the chicken missing, she blames the dog for eating the missing chicken.
- Baur-Heinhold, Margarete. Bemalte Fassaden. Verlag Georg DW Callwey, München, 1975, p. 71: An der Giebelseite berichten allegorische Darstellungen aus dem Jagdleben, an den Langseiten symbolisieren Putten die leiblichen Werke der Barmherzigkeit und die fünf Sinne.
- Baur-Heinhold, Margarete. Bemalte Fassaden. Verlag Georg DW Callwey, München, 1975, p. 99: "Oberammergau, Oberbayern, Ettalerstraße, Kölblhaus. Vermutlich von Franz Zwinck, um 1770. Im Giebel Christus im Schoße Gottvaters, über der Türe Anna Selbdritt."
- Bronner, Franz Joseph. Von Deutscher Sitt' und Art. Munich: Verlag Max Kellerer, 1908, p. 322. "Nr. 127 zeigt am Giebel eine heilige Dreifaltigkeit. Die schönen, reichen Rokokofensterrahmen sind von den Büsten verschiedener Heiligen (Apostel) bekrönt."
- Bronner, Franz Joseph. Von Deutscher Sitt' und Art. Munich: Verlag Max Kellerer, 1908, p. 322, FN: "Haus-Nr. 123 zeigt zwei Engel, welche das Haus von Loretto übers Meer tragen. An dessen Strand links steht St. Augustinus und betrachtet einen im Sande spielenden Knaben. Rechts predigt St. Antonius von Padua den Fischen. Das Ganze ist in den Schutz des Gnadenbildes von Ettal gestellt. Zwinck 1783 pinx."
- Wagner, Rainer. Email correspondence 25 Aug 2021. "Das Giebelbild in der Ettaler Str. 12 stammt im Original von Franz Seraph Zwinck. Zu den Passionsspielen 1900 wurde das Haus aufgestockt und das Bild von einem Füssener Maler in den neuen Giebel übertragen. Diese Darstellung wurde von mir 1982 restauriert."
- Schauer, Martine. Email correspondence 21 April 2021. "[D]as Bild ist erst 1997, von dem Eigentümer Ernst Bierling, an der Hauswand aufgebracht worden und entspricht nicht der klassischen Lüftelmalerei. Das Bild, das einen Stier darstellt, steht symbolisch für den Hl. Lukas - Patron der Handwerker und Künstler."
- Wagner, Rainer. Email correspondence 2 May 2021. "Die übrige Malerei auf dieser Seite nimmt Bezug auf die Passionsspiele in Oberammergau. Über den oberen Fenstern sind Persönlichkeiten abgebildet, die mit den Passionsspielen in Zusammenhang stehen. Obere Fenster von links: Pater Ferdinand Rosner (Passionsspieltext), Pater Othmar Weis (Passionsspieltext), Rochus Dealer (Passionsmusik), Pfarrer Alois Daisenberger( Passionsspieltext). Zwischen den oberen und unteren Fenstern von links die Darstellungen von: Geburt Christi, Eucharistie, Kreuzigung und Auferstehung."
- Wagner, Rainer. Email correspondence 2 May 2021. "Westseite von links: Ein Porträt von St. Lucas, dem Schutzpatron der Maler, mit meiner Signatur und dem Entstehungsjahr der Malerei: 1980. Am nächsten Fenster befindet sich eine Kartusche mit der Inschrift „ Christian Wagner Holzschnitzer“."
- Wagner, Rainer. Email correspondence 2 May 2021. "Ostseite und Hauseingang. Erstes Fenster von links: Darstellung der St. Gisela, der Namenspatronin meiner Schwägerin. Zweites Fenster: Darstellung des St. Christian, dem Namenspatron meines Bruders. Fenster rechts neben der Haustüre: Darstellung der St. Veronika, der Namenspatronin der ältesten Tochter meines Bruders."
- Traub, Ulrich. "Die bayrischen Graffiti; Lüftlmalerei gestern und heute." Internet-Reisemagazin schwarzaufweiss GbR. www.schwarzaufweiss.de/deutschland/mittenwald-oberammergau-lueftlmalerei.htm. Last viewed 17 Jan 2022: "Christina Dichtl gehört zu den wenigen, die neben Restaurierungen auch eigene Lüftlmalereien ausführen. „Leider viel zu selten“, räumt die Künstlerin aus Bad Bayersoien ein. In Oberammergau hat sie eine Interpretation der „Bremer Stadtmusikanten“ auf die Fassade eines Kinderheims gemalt. Das Motiv hatten die Bewohner ausgewählt. Es befindet sich in guter Gesellschaft, an den Nachbarhäusern kann man sich nämlich auch in die Abenteuer von „Hänsel und Gretel“ und „Rotkäppchen“ vertiefen."
- Conversation with the artist on February 10, 2022.
- Conversation with the artist on February 10, 2022.