Pilate house Oberammergau

The Pilatus House in Oberammergau houses one of the largest collections of reverse glass paintings in Europe, with around 1500 works. The painting of reverse glass paintings reached its peak between 1550 and 1850. At first it was reserved only for the aristocracy and clergy, but in the course of time it conquered the wealthy middle classes and finally became folk art.

The collection became famous when the artists from the circle of the "Blaue Reiter" began to be enthusiastic about the reverse glass paintings. They started painting behind glass themselves. Franz Marc and Wassily Kandinsky selected nine paintings from the Oberammergau collection for publication in the almanac "Der Blaue Reiter".

Since 1977 there has been a "Living Workshop" in the Pilatus House. Visitors have the opportunity to see craftsmen practising old crafts such as carving, painting behind glass, pottery and many others.

The museum in the Pilatushaus not only displays works of art in its exhibition rooms, the building itself is also an artistic masterpiece. The Pilatus House dates from the 18th century and is decorated with impressive perspective frescoes by Franz Seraph Zwink. In the year 1784 the house was painted and is considered today as the most well-known Lüftlmalerei house in Oberammergau.

The Pilatus House is located in the centre of Oberammergau, directly opposite the Oberammergau Museum.