Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [336]
Citibank (Theresienstrasse 1)
Commerzbank (Ludwigstrasse 13)
Post office (Nikolastrasse 2)
Tourist office Altstadt ( 955 980; www.passau.de; Rathausplatz 3; 8.30am-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-4pm Sat & Sun, reduced hours mid-Oct–Easter); Hauptbahnhof ( 955 980; Bahnhofstrasse 28; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri, 10.30am-3.30 Sat & Sun Easter-Sep, reduced hours Oct-Easter) Staff sell the Passaucard (adult/child 1 day €14.50/10.50, 3 days €26.50/18) valid for several attractions, unlimited use of public transport and a city river cruise.
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Sights
VESTE OBERHAUS
This 13th-century fortress, built by the prince-bishops, towers over the city with patriarchal pomp. Views are superb, either from the castle tower (€1) or from the Battalion Linde, a lookout that gives the only bird’s-eye view of the three-way confluence down below.
Inside the bastion is the Oberhausmuseum ( 4933 5012; Oberhaus 125; adult/concession €5/4; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm Sat & Sun Mar-Nov). Some of the best exhibits here uncover the mysteries of medieval castle-building and a knight’s rites of passage.
DOM ST STEPHAN
The characteristic green onion domes of Passau’s otherwise whitewashed cathedral, the Dom ( 6.30am-7pm), float serenely above the town silhouette. There has been a church on this spot since the 5th century, but the current baroque look emerged after the Great Fire of 1662. The interior was designed by a crew of Italian artists, notably the architect Carlo Lurago and the stucco master Giovanni Carlone. The frescoes show fascinating scenes of heaven, but the true masterpiece is the industrial-size church organ, one of the world’s largest with a staggering 17,974 pipes. Organ recitals are held on weekdays at noon, and on Thursday at 7.30pm from May to October (adult/child €3/1 lunchtime, €5/3 evening).
From the south aisle, a set of corkscrew stairs leads to the New Bishop’s Residence, which contains the Domschatz-und Diözesan-museum (Cathedral Treasury & Museum; adult/concession €2/1; 10am-4pm Mon-Sat May-Oct). This showcases a range of ecclesiastical finery that illustrates the power and wealth of the Church rulers.
ALTES RATHAUS
The tower carillon in the colourful Rathaus chimes several times daily (hours are listed on the wall alongside the historical flood levels – check out 2002!). Inside, the Grosser Rathaus Saal (Great Assembly Room; adult/concession €2/1.50; 10am-4pm Apr-Oct) has wonderful murals by local artist Ferdinand Wagner, showing scenes from Passau’s history with a melodramatic flourish. If it’s not being used for a wedding, also sneak into the adjacent Small Assembly Room for a peek at the ceiling fresco showing buxom beauties and a fierce-looking man – meant as allegories of the three rivers.
Wagner, who used to live in the huge building on the north bank of the Danube, just to the right of where the Luitpoldbrücke suspension bridge is today, threatened to move out of town if the bridge was built. It was, he did, and after viewing the paintings, you wonder whether the city made the right choice.
PASSAUER GLASMUSEUM
If you were wondering why Passau has bilingual signage in Czech and German, visit the Passauer Glasmuseum (Passau Museum of Glass; 350 71; Hotel Wilder Mann, Am Rathausplatz; adult/concession €5/4; 1-5pm), the largest museum of Czech glass and crystal in the world and a magnet for Slavic cross-border raiders. Even if you charge through this amazing collection of over 30,000 pieces displayed in 380 cases, you’ll need an hour to view the 36 rooms filled with baroque, classical, art nouveau and art-deco pieces. There’s a luxury bedroom chamber right in the museum that’s let to visiting VIPs as part of the adjacent Hotel Wilder Mann. Be sure to pick up a floor plan as it’s easy to get lost.
OTHER MUSEUMS
The Museum Moderne Kunst (Modern Art Museum; 383 8790; Bräugasse 17; adult/concession €5/3; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun) holds temporary exhibitions with both a local and international bent in a wonderful hodgepodge of buildings.
Across the Fünferlsteg Inn footbridge,