PASSAU, GERMANY

- Exploring the CITY OF THREE RIVERS -

Passau is a picturesque city located in the South Eastern part of Germany in the state of Bavaria. The city borders Austria and the state capitol Munich is about a 2 hour drive away.

We’ll start the city tour at the Veste Oberhaus, a 13th century fortress located atop a hill just north of the Danube river.

We’ll continue to the Pilgrimage church of Mariahilf located in the Innstadt, just south of the river Inn. Afterwards, I’ll take you on a walking tour loop through the Innstadt and crossing over a bridge above the Inn river.

Next we’ll explore the city center which comprises the Neumarkt and Altstadt, which is the old town known for its baroque architecture, including St. Stephen’s Cathedral featuring one of the biggest organs in the world. 

At the eastern tip of Old town is where the river Danube is joined by the Inn from the south and Ilz from the north giving Passau its Nickname Drei-Fluesse-Stadt which means “City of Three Rivers”.

At the end of the tour we’ll return to Veste Oberhaus for spectacular nighttime views of the city.

The Veste Oberhaus is one of the biggest and best-preserved fortresses in Europe. Passau used to be a major center of power and trade as well as a magnificent residential town. 

In 1217, Bishop Ulrich II received the dignity of imperial prince from the later Emperor Frederick II. With this, the bishops of Passau were not only the spiritual but also the secular rulers of the three-river town.

In 1219, the foundation stone for the castle “Georgsburg” on the Georgsberg, high above the Danube River, was laid. 

For almost 600 years, the castle demonstrated power and strength protecting the prince bishops from enemies. 

Interestingly, even the citizens of Passau repeatedly rebelled against the ruling bishops fighting for greater independence. However, the castle withstood all attacks and threats over the centuries and was renamed Schloss Oberhaus (Palace Oberhaus) during the Renaissance (generally described as taking place between the 14th-17th century). 

From the 17th century, state-of-the-art fortifications were added transforming the former castle into a fortress (Veste).

In the course of secularization in 1803, the city of Passau including the Veste Oberhaus fell to the Kingdom of Bavaria. 

Even well known French military and political leader Napoleon Bonaparte, who was an alliance partner with Bavaria, temporarily used Veste Oberhaus as a bastion in the war against Austria.

From 1822 onwards the fortress was used as a prison for political detainees and also as a military gaol (jail).

In 1932 the town of Passau took control of the fortress and established a museum on the grounds. The Oberhausmuseum presents diverse permanent exhibitions on the town’s history and the Middle Ages, as well as alternating special exhibitions.

Alongside the St Stephens Cathedral, which we will see later on our tour, the fortress is Passau’s most important sight comprising the Oberhausmuseum, a youth hostel, the city observatory and the restaurant “Das Oberhaus” with amazing views overlooking the city and its three rivers. Definitely a great spot to grab a bite to eat and a good German beer. 

The building with the white towers and blue-green domes is the St. Stephens Cathedral which will be the last stop of our tour. All the way on the other side on the hill you see the pilgrimage church Mariahilf - our next stop on the tour. Lastly, you see the eastern tip of Old Town where the three rivers, Danube, Inn and Ilz converge. 

Now we are going to explore the Innstadt on the opposite side of the Danube river and south of the river Inn. 

Our first stop is the baroque style Pilgrimage Church of Mariahilf (=Mary Help), which sits atop a hill above the Innstadt. 

There are two ways to get here. You can drive up the hill and park near the church. A short walk from the parking lot takes you to the church.

The other option is to go to the street of the Neutorgraben in the Innstadt and walk up 321 steps through a covered stairway leading up to the pilgrimage chapel.  

This Wallfahrtsstiege or “Himmelsleiter” (=”Ladder to heaven”) is adorned with numerous votive tablets and pilgrims to this day take the stairs and pray along the way making it a special experience. 

The baroque church was built in 1624 to 1627 and quickly became one of the most significant places of pilgrimage to Saint Mary.

As it became more and more popular with pilgrims, the Kapuziner monks started to be in charge of the church in 1631 making it a pilgrimage center for Middle- and South-East Europe. 

As you enter the church, you see two plaques to the right. 

The bottom plaque states: “In September 1762 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart prayed in this church with his older sister Maria Anna, known as “Nannerl” and his parents Leopold and Anna Maria.

The upper plaque refers to the emperor Leopold I. of Habsburg. In 1683 he fled with his family and court to Passau, when the Turks surrounded Vienna. He prayed daily for Vienna’s liberation in front of the picture of the Virgin Mary. “Maria Hilf”, German for “Mary help” became the battle cry in the battle against the Turks, which was ultimately won in the final battle at the Kahlenberg mountain. Passau’s image of the Virgin Mary became the national image of the Habsburg family.

This miraculous image of Saint Mary in Passau, which is located at the high altar, receives worldwide worship, even though it is actually only a copy. The original, painted by Lucas Cranach, was a present for Leopold Archduke of Austria, the Prince Bishop of Passau in 1611. Before Leopold took it with him to his new domain as sovereign of Tyrol, the cathedrals department head Marquard von Schwendi employed the Passau-based painter Pius to make a copy. The original is currently located in the St. Jakob parish church in Innsbruck, Austria.

As you walk the grounds of the church you’ll see some sculptures as well as a little graveyard with tombstones of Kapuziner monks that served at the monastery.

As you leave the church grounds, make a left and head over to the outlook area for some nice views of Passau from the opposite side of the city compared to the Veste Oberhaus where we kicked off the tour.

Note: If you are here with a car, a short 5 minute drive takes you into Austria. As gas prices are less expensive compared to Germany, many people that live in Passau just cross the border to fill up their tank.

Alright, now let’s explore the rest of the Innstadt. 

The Innstadt is the only part of Passau that is located south of the Inn and is essentially surrounded by the Inn on one side and the border to Austria to the other side.

We are starting the walking tour at the parking structure of the Innstadt and walk along the Inn through the Lederergasse. This is where the Roman Empire built the Kastell Boiotro, a military camp, back in the year 270, which ultimately was the first settlement in this area. 

As we continue to walk through the Lederergasse, we eventually get to the Severinstor built in 1412.

As we walk through the Severinstor we see the Peichterturm, a circular tower built in 1403. All of this was part of the Stadtmauer (=city wall) to protect the city from enemies.

A short walk takes us to the Innsteg, a pedestrian only bridge made out of iron that connects the Innstadt with the city center spanning over the river Inn.

The locals call this bridge “Fünferlsteg” which derives back from a time when crossing the bridge cost 5 Pfenning. The fee had to be paid from 1916, when the bridge was completed, and the mid 70’s. 

Looking upstream you see parts of the University along with lots of greenery.

Quite interesting that Passau’s population is about 50,000 of whom about 12,000 are students at the University of Passau making it a popular University City in Germany. 

On the other side, looking downstream you get an amazing view of the Altstadt (=Old Town).

Alright, we’ve arrived at the other side of the river. I think it’s time for a little break and enjoy these river views. Enjoy a Hefeweizen and Flammkuchen at the Innsteg Restaurant while sitting on the patio. 

A Flammkuchen, which translated means Flame Cake, is a popular dish from the Alsace region of France along the border to Germany. It’s somewhat similar to a flatbread. 

Ok, let’s continue with the tour. We are walking along the Innpromenade, which is like a boardwalk along the river. 

On the other side of the river you see the St. Gertraud Church, which we will get closer to shortly. 

The Bridge you see is the Marienbrücke which we’ll cross over now making our way back to the Innstadt.

The Marienbrücke connects the Old Town of Passau with the Innstadt. This bridge is for both - cars and pedestrians. You cross over the River Inn and it’s the last bridge over the Inn before the river flows into the Danube. Undoubtedly you have some great views as you walk over the bridge. 

As you cross, make sure to turn around from time to time for those views of the Old Town with the St. Stephen’s Cathedral.

As we get back to the Innstadt, we walk right into the Kirchenplatz (=Church Square) with the St. Gertraud Church that was first mentioned in 1301 and re-built in its current form in 1815. There is a cool cafe here named KaffeeWerk. Great spot to take a break and grab some coffee and cake. 

This concludes our walking tour of the Innstadt and across the river walking along the boardwalk.

Next up is the city center and Old Town.

We are starting off in the Neumarkt area of the city center which flows into the Altstadt (=Old Town) of Passau. 

One of the focal points of the city center is a mall named Stadtgalerie. 

Nearby is also the Nibelungenplatz where the Wochenmarkt (=Farmers Market) takes place every Tuesday and Friday. 

Great place to grab a Leberkässemmel, which is a quick traditional German food. Leberkäse means Liver Cheese and Semmel is the Bavarian word for Roll. It’s actually made out of pork, bacon and beef baked as a crusty loaf. 

Many parts of the city center are a pedestrian only zone with many shops, restaurants and bars. Most German cities have this kind of set up where no cars are allowed in certain areas of the city center.

As you walk through the streets you’ll encounter multiple churches and other historical buildings. 

This is the Stadtpfarrkirche St Paul, the oldest parish church of Passau.

The first church was already built in 1050 and after some major fires in 1512 and 1662, St. Paul Church was re-built in 1678. 

The baroque building sits on top of a rock on the northern edge of the Roman wall. 

We are now walking through the Paulusbogen (Paulus Archway), the north entrance to the Altstadt. It’s the oldest preserved city gate of Passau and during the Roman times it was in fact the only entrance to town.

Time to explore the north side of the city center along the main river that flows through Passau, the Danube or Donau in German. It’s the second longest river in Europe after the Volga in Russia and runs through 10 countries. Originating in the Black Forest of Germany, the Danube flows southeast passing through or bordering Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova and Ukraine before draining into the Black Sea.

Passau is a popular stop for river cruises that take you on multiple day or even weeks long cruises to several European cities along the Danube and other rivers.

You can also just go on shorter cruises staying in the Passau area that typically last anywhere between 45 min to 2 hours. 

Due to Passau being surrounded by rivers, there have been significant floods in the past. The last major one was back in June 2013 and you can still see how high the water got on some of the buildings, like on this green house here.

Continuing our walk along the Danube, we are now passing the Old Town Hall which consists of one large and one smaller council chamber.

The building dates back to the 14th century and is considered Neo-Gothic architecture.  

 It is actually still being used as the Town Hall to this day. 

While walking along the Danube, this hot air balloon rose above the Veste Oberhaus where we started the tour. It’s quite common to see hot air balloons in Germany during the summer months. 

This is where the river Ilz flows into the Danube. The Ilz is the shortest of the three rivers running about 25 miles through the Bavarian Forest until it reaches the Danube in Passau. 

As we turn and continue walking to the Eastern tip of the Altstadt, we arrive at the Dreiflüsseeck (=Three River Conjunction) as the Inn joins the Danube and Ilz from the south. 

The Inn is 322 miles long and originates in the Swiss Alps, running through Austria and ultimately reaching Passau where it flows into the Danube.  

The alpine water of the Inn is green, the Danube is blue and the Ilz is black as it comes directly from a moorland. 

Even after the three rivers meet, it’s quite fascinating how the three different colors carry on and to see how powerful the stream of the Inn’s green water is as it pushes aside the water from the Danube.

We are now circling around the tip and return on the Inn side of the Old Town walking along the medieval town walls towards the Schaiblingsturm. The tower had several functions over the centuries starting out as a defensive tower when it was built in 1250 as part of the medieval town walls.

After its renovation in the 15th century it was used as a storage facility for salt and other items.

During the times of salt trading it was a mooring point for boats and until 1957 there was a cable ferry from the Schaiblingsturm to the Innstadt. 

Interestingly, the tower is habitable featuring central heating and a toilet and thus has served as an accommodation for residents such as watchmen, journalists and even actors.

While we walk along the water, I want to bring up a story that has not been confirmed 100%, but there are quite some credible sources out there believing it to be true. 

Adolf Hitler lived in Passau for a couple years as a child and in 1894, when he was about 4 years old, it is believed that he fell through the ice on the Inn during winter time and was rescued by one of the kids he played with. This incident was reported in the local newspaper without naming the child, but over the years more and more sources claimed that the rescued child was indeed Hitler. 

Alright, now let’s walk through the Old Town a bit more on our way to the heart of Passau, St Stephens Cathedral.

Before we get there, we are passing through the Residence Square, known as one of the most beautiful baroque squares north of the Alps. 

Until 1712 this was the site of the citie’s big warehouse, which ultimately was torn down for the construction of the New Bishop’s Residence.

At the center of the square is the Wittelsbach Fountain, which was built in 1903. It shows Mary on the middle column and the three angels at her feet symbolize Passau’s three rivers: Angel “Danube” wears ears of wheat in its hair, angel “Ilz” is adorned with pearls and angel “Inn” wears a Tyrolean hat (Bavarian or Alpine Hat).

Alright, the time has come and we’re headed to the main attraction of Old Town, if not all of Passau, St Stephens Cathedral.

This magnificent building is quickly recognizable with its white towers and blue-green domes making it one of the most impressive baroque churches north of the Alps. 

In 1407, Prince Bishop Georg v. Hohenlohe laid the foundation for the construction of a late gothic cathedral. This increased Passau’s economic, social, artistic and cultural significance.

Construction took over 160 years and in 1662, nearly 90 years after the completion, a major fire destroyed many parts of the city including significant damage to the cathedral. This is when two Italian architects  were asked to re-build the cathedral and gave it their own Italian character. 

Today it is one of the biggest Italian baroque buildings north of the Alps and it also features one of the world’s largest Catholic organs in the world. With its 17,974 pipes and 233 registers it is an impressive sight within the cathedral. Trust me, it’s even more impressive in person than on video.

The largest pipe is 11 meters long and weighs 306 kg (36 ft / 675 lbs). The smallest pipes have a length of 6 mm (0.24 inches).

If you have the time while visiting, try to go for an organ concert. It takes place at noon every day between May 2 and Oct. 31 except on Sundays and Holidays. Tickets can be purchased on the day of visit starting at 10:00am and cost around 5 Euro.

Alright, this concludes the tour of Passau. We are back at the Veste Oberhaus for some spectacular nighttime views. I hope you enjoyed the tour, got some historical context and learned a thing or two about Passau. And for all of you that are planning a trip to Passau, I hope this helps you figure out what you want to see while visiting.

For more impressions, check out the video below…