Passau Travel Guide
A detailed destination guide for your next Germany vacation
Passau Overview
Passau is a town in Lower Bavaria, Germany, known also as the Dreiflüssestadt (City of Three Rivers), because the Danube is joined there by the Inn from the South, and the Ilz coming out of the Bavarian Forest to the North.
Its population is 50,415, of whom about 10,000 are students at the local University of Passau. The university, founded in the late 1970s, is the extension of the Institute for Catholic Studies (Katholisch-Theologische Fakultät) founded in 1622. It is renowned in Germany for its institutes of Economics, Law, Theology, Computer Sciences and Cultural Science.
Where to stay in Passau?
Check out our selection of hand-selected and quality Passau vacation rentals and holiday apartments.
Things to See
Tourism in Passau focuses mainly on the three rivers, the St. Stephen's Cathedral (Der Passauer Stephansdom) and the "Old City" (Die Altstadt). With 17,774 pipes and 233 registers, the organ at St. Stephen's was long held to be the largest church pipe organ in the world and is today second in size only to the organ at First Congregational Church, Los Angeles, which was expanded in 1994. Organ concerts are held daily between May and September. St.Stephen is a true masterpiece of Italian Baroque,built by Italian architect Carlo Lurago and decorated in part by Carpoforo Tencalla. Many river cruises down the Danube start at Passau and there is a cycling path all the way down to Vienna. It is also notable for its gothic and baroque architecture. The town is dominated by the Veste Oberhaus and the former fortress of the Bishop, on the mountain crest between the Danube and the Ilz rivers. Right beside the town hall is the Scharfrichterhaus, an important jazz and cabaret stage on which political cabaret is performed.
[ source: wikipedia ]
Maps and Driving Directions to Passau
Travel Insider Tips for Passau
Passau is very nice where the 3 rivers join into one. Also the Danube is very romantic.
Shared by Brunhilde Hawrylak, Jan 2011
I like Passau, The river cruises are wonderful, the city is full of things to do!! Good food. The surrounding area is old fashioned traditional Bavaria. Its full of wonderful small villages, good beer, and food. Off the normal american tourist path. So you can save money, and see the real Bavaria.
Shared by Chuck Weikel, Jul 2010
I was In Passau with friends in June of last year. A wonderful town. The rivers cruises are great. Lots to see and do. Ich empfehle es, wird es lohnt sich!
Shared by Chuck Weikel, Mar 2010
My sister lives in Passau. I like to go to the organ concert in the Dom. A boat trip up or down the Danube. Veste Oberhaus. Have coffe and cake in a small cafe/bakery in the Innstadt.
Shared by Antonella Wolf, Mar 2010
War mal in Passau mit meinen Eltern auf Besuch und die Landschaft ist bildhuebsch. Gute Wanderung in Wald.
Shared by Andreas Probst, Mar 2010
Passau is a nice day trip. You can see the three rivers when you visit the St. Steven's cathedral. For a closer look at the Danube, Ilz, and Inn take a riverboat tour and see where the three meet.
Shared by Robert Thomas, Jan 2011
If you make it to Passau, there is a place on Theresien strasse called Zi Teresa Ristorante. They have the best pizza I've ever eaten.
Shared by Robert Thomas, Jun 2010
Passau
[ source: Flickr]
Popular Points of Interest in and near Passau
St. Stephan's Cathedral
[ source: Wikipedia ]
Since 730, there have been many churches built on the site of the current cathedral. The current church, a baroque building around 100 metres (328 ft) long, was built from 1668 to 1693 after a fire in 1662 destroyed its predecessor, of which only the late gothic eastern side remains. The cathedral's overall plan was made by Carlo Lurago, its interior decoration by Giovanni Battista Carlone, and its frescos by Carpoforo Tencalla. Over time, the Passau Cathedral has acquired the largest organ outside of the United States. It is also the largest cathedral organ in the world. The organ currently has 17,774 pipes and 233 registers, all of which can be played with the five-manual general console in the gallery.
Veste Oberhaus Fortress
[ source: Wikipedia ]
Veste Oberhaus is a fortress that was founded in 1219 and, for most of its time, served as the stronghold of the Bishop of Passau. The fortress is located on the mountain crest (St.Georgsberg) between the Danube and the Ilz rivers and dominates the city of Passau that is located on the opposite, right side of the Danube. Below Oberhaus on the tip between the rivers Ilz and Danube is Veste Niederhaus, part of the fortress system. The fortress was attacked five times between 1250 and 1482. Twice, 1298 and 1367, the citizens of Passau themselves rebelled against the Bishop. Veste Oberhaus was never conquered militarily. The Bavarians occupied the fortress in 1741 but were forced out by the Austrians one year later. They returned the fortress to the Bishop in 1745.
For a century the fortress became a state and military prison. In 1932 the City of Passau gained possession and instituted a museum documenting the history and art history of Passau and its surroundings. The fortress also contains a youth hostel and a restaurant.
Museum Hours: Open March 15 - November 15, Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm and weekends 10am - 5pm. Also open daily December 25 - January 6 from 10am - 6pm.
Admission: Adults 5 €, Concessions 4 €.
Museum of the Treasure of the Cathedral and the Diocese/New Bishop's Residence
The museum in the New Bishop's Residence, a palace built in the early 18th century by the architects Domenico d' Angeli and Antonio Beduzzi, shows the treasures of Passau's past when it was the capital of the largest diocese of the Holy Roman Empire. In particular its rococo stairways and the fresco The Gods of Olympia are worshipping the eternal town of Passau
are worth seeing.
Related Sites
We collected some useful links related to Passau. If you know a few more sites not listed here, or also know some insider tips or point of interests for this destination? Please share and submit your Germany travel tip. If approved it will be shown on this page!
- Homepage of Passau: Passau (official home page)
- Wikipedia: Passau
More about the History of Passau
Passau was an ancient Roman colony of ancient Noricum called Batavis, Latin for "for the Batavi." The Batavi were an ancient Germanic tribe often mentioned by classical authors, and they were regularly associated with the Suebian marauders, the Heruli.
During the second half of the 5th century, St. Severinus established a monastery here. In 739, an Irish monk called Boniface founded the diocese of Passau and this was the largest diocese of the Holy Roman Empire for many years.
In the Treaty of Passau (1552), Archduke Ferdinand I, representing Emperor Charles V, secured the agreement of the Protestant princes to submit the religious question to a diet. This led to the Peace of Augsburg (Augsburg vacation rentals | Augsburg travel guide) in 1555.
During the Renaissance and early modern period, Passau was one of the most prolific centres of sword and bladed weapon manufacture in Germany (after Solingen). Passau smiths stamped their blades with the Passau wolf, usually a rather simplified rendering of the wolf on the city's coat-of-arms. Superstitious warriors believed that the Passau wolf conferred invulnerability on the blade's bearer, and thus Passau swords acquired a great premium. As a result, the whole practice of placing magical charms on swords to protect the wearers came to be known for a time as "Passau art." (See Eduard Wagner, Cut and Thrust Weapons, 1969). Other cities' smiths, including those of Solingen (Solingen vacation rentals | Solingen travel guide), recognized the marketing value of the Passau wolf and adopted it for themselves. By the 17th century, Solingen was producing more wolf-stamped blades than Passau was.
Passau was secularised and divided between Bavaria and Salzburg in 1803. The portion belonging to Salzburg became part of Bavaria in 1805.
From 1892 until 1894 Adolf Hitler and his family lived in Passau. The city archives mention Hitler being in Passau on 4 different occasions in the 1920s for speeches.
During World War II the town housed three sub-camps of the infamous Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp: Passau I (Oberilzmühle), Passau II (Waldwerke Passau-Ilzstadt) and Passau III (Jandelsbrunn). It was the site of a post World War II American sector displaced persons camp.
[ source: wikipedia ]
What makes this Live Like a German Passau Travel Guide special...
This Passau travel guide provides you with an overview of Passau, Passau pictures, and a local travel guide that suggests many special trips, unique activities, and vacation ideas, that you can't find in a typical Germany travel guide.
Some of this information is compiled from popular and well-known sources (e.g., such as Wikipedia, Wikitravel, and great pictures from Flickr). However, what makes this Germany travel guide special is that most of the travel suggestions and insider tips are provided by local residents, property owners, and our readers, who share and submit their travel tips with us. All submissions are then editorially reviewed to ensure high quality. All this information is logically organized within this destination guide to make it easy for you to find things quickly.
In addition, the Passau destination guide features restaurant recommendations, restaurant reviews, where to go for grocery shopping, sports activities, getting around, cultural events and highlights, entertainment, and health related information - so you are informed for your travel to Germany, and you can learn about all the cool things you can do during your Germany vacation!
