May 24, 2024
We awoke to a pleasant surprise this morning – sailing into Passau. Overnight the captain had managed to make up the time that we had lost the previous day! Sitting on the German-Austrian border, Passau would be our last stop in Germany. In fact, some of today’s excursions would actually cross into Austria before returning to the ship.
Passau was founded by the Celts over 2,000 years ago and is one of Bavaria’s oldest cities. It is known as the “City of Three Rivers” since it sits at the confluence of the Inn, Ilz and Danube rivers. This is a strategic position that allowed the city to weld great economic and political power. This prosperity is evident in the colorful houses with rococo facades and the impressive baroque St. Stephen’s Cathedral.
Today, guests had a choice of three morning shore excursions – the included Passau Walking Tour, the optional full-day excursion to Salzburg, or Hiking the Passau Hills. The four of us chose the Passau Walking Tour.
Description: Explore the Italianate-style streets of Passau, where three European rivers converge. Meet your local guide and begin your walking tour through delightful old-world streets, taking in a pastel rainbow of building facades as you stroll. You will see the impressive Bishops’ Residenz from which powerful prince-bishops ruled secular and religious life for hundreds of years. Continue past the 14th-century Rathaus, or Town Hall, built on the site of a former fish market on the Danube. Conclude your walk at the magnificent 17th-century St. Stephen’s Cathedral. This baroque wonder houses Europe’s largest pipe organ, with more than 17,000 pipes, and inspired Franz Liszt to write his Hungarian Coronation Mass. Enjoy free time to explore more of the city on your own before returning to your awaiting ship.
We met our tour guide and walking group on shore after disembarking and set off to explore the city.
One of the first things our guide pointed out was an imposing fortress on the other side of the river.
Veste Oberhaus is a fortress that was founded in 1219 and, for most of its time, was the stronghold of the Bishop of Passau, Germany. It is now the site of a museum, a youth hostel and a restaurant, as well as an open-air theatre dating to 1934. The fortress is located on the mountain crest (St. Georgsberg) on the left side of the Danube between it and the Ilz and dominates the old city of Passau, which it faces across the Danube.
Wikipedia
As we began our walk into the old city, we came to the Höllgasse (the alley of the artists). This street is full of artisan shops with a delightful “breadcrumb trail” of painted cobblestones that direct you to the various shops. It was still early so several of the shops were not open yet.
Continuing our walk, the guide pointed out the raised doorways along the street with barriers to prevent water from entering during a flood.
A brief walk from the Höllgasse brought us to the Old Town Hall.
Dating back to the 14th century, the Old Town Hall harbors a wealth of historical and cultural importance. Among its many marvels, it houses the largest glockenspiel clock in all of Bavaria, a magnificent feat of intricate craftsmanship and engineering. At appointed hours, the clock comes to life with a melodious symphony of chimes, an auditory spectacle that captivates the attention of locals and visitors alike.
The architecture of the town hall is a splendid example of neo-gothic design, a style that was popular during the late medieval period. Intricate stone carvings, flying buttresses, ribbed vaults, and pointed arches are just a few of the features that lend this edifice its unique charm.
One of the unique features to look out for is the series of marks on the walls, a silent yet poignant reminder of the floods that have swept through the town over the centuries. Each mark indicates the date and height of a different flood, providing a stark testament to the town’s resilience in the face of natural disasters.
Old Town Hall
Our next stop was the New Episcopal Residence. Unfortunately we were not given the opportunity to go inside.
The New Episcopal Residence is a remarkable architectural marvel reflecting the Viennese late baroque style. Completed by 1730, it has served as a significant historical monument, showcasing both grandeur and an intricate connection to religious tradition.
The facade of the New Episcopal Residence is an awe-inspiring sight. With two magnificent porches and a roof balustrade adorned with figures, the building asserts an imposing presence. The architectural details reflect the rich history and cultural heritage of the region.
Originally, the building was meant for the Passau prince bishops, serving as both a representative and residential building. The magnificently furnished rooms were more than mere living spaces; they were venues for receptions, audiences, work, and prayer. These rooms echo the rich religious history and social status of the bishops in their carefully chosen decor and layout.
New Episcopal Residence
Our final stop on the tour was the beautiful St. Stephen’s Cathedral. We were able to step inside the Cathedral but since they were celebrating Mass we couldn’t venture far from the entrance.
St. Stephen’s Cathedral is a baroque church built in 1688. Since 730, there have been many churches built on the site of the current cathedral. The current church, a baroque building around 100 meters 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. Portions of the organ have their own mechanical-action or electric-action consoles, for a total of six consoles.
St. Stephen’s Cathedral
We were given some free time following the tour to wander on our own before heading back to the ship for lunch. We ran across a musician and his dog along the way as well as a beautiful garden.
Since the ship was docked in Passau for the day, Viking offered two optional afternoon tours – Bavaria by E-Bike and Bavarian Cruise & Baroque Town Schärding. We had selected the Bavarian Cruise so, armed with our passports (since we would be crossing the border into Austria), we left the ship and boarded a bus for the 25 minute ride to Schärding.
Description: Board a boat, exploring the Inn River as the rolling hills of Upper Austria and Lower Bavaria unfold around you. Meet your guide for a drive upriver through the Bavarian countryside. Soon, you will arrive at the quaint little Austrian town of Schärding on the Inn River, just a short distance from Passau. Take a walking tour with a local guide, admiring the gracefully curved gabled roofs of multihued pastel houses facing the picturesque baroque central square. Then embark a small boat to cruise the famous emerald-green waters of the Inn River. As you get underway, you will see the onion-domed tower of St. George’s Church peering over the town. Enjoy beer and a pretzel as you take in views of the passing countryside, with German Bavaria on one side and Upper Austria on the other.
When we arrived in Schärding, we set off on a walking tour of this colorful town. The architecture is a mix of many styles and periods, the best example probably being the Baroque “Silberzeile” row of houses where rich market traders once lived. In the Middle Ages, due to its location, Schärding became a center of trade, particularly for salt, timber, ores, wine, silk, glass, grain, textiles and livestock.
One of the most beautiful areas of the town is its central square with its rows of colorful, gabled buildings. The colors were associated with the professional guilds in the Middle Ages so that illiterate people would know the purpose of each building. For example, bakers were blue, butchers were red, hostels were green. Note the yellow Rathaus (Town Hall) in the photo below with the coat of arms of Schärding.
Originally the town was fortified. Sections of the wall remain, but the castle that was originally there is gone. We did see the castle gate that once housed the guards of the ducal palace. It now houses Schärding’s local museum. Until 1809, it was accessible only via a bridge across the outer moat. The older part of the building at the rear was originally four stories high. Made of tuff (rock composed of volcanic debris), it was once the outermost tower of the fortress built for Duke Ludwig the Bearded between 1428 and 1436.
As we continued our walk, our guide said he had a special treat for us. We followed him into a shop that displayed an ice cream banner. Are we getting ice cream?
No, we are making seasoned salt. What?? Yep, we were directed to take a seat at a long table. In front of each of us was a mortar and pestle, a jar of very coarse salt, and a jar of herbs. We were instructed to place the salt and herbs in the mortar and grind it until it was sufficiently fine (as determined by the shop owner overseeing us). The resulting seasoned salt was poured into the paper bag for us to take home. OK, not ice cream but still interesting (and hard work).
Once everyone passed the salt-making test, we were taken to the river where we boarded a boat for the scenic beer-tasting cruise. The boat easily accommodated our tour group with tables large enough for 4 – 6 people. On each table was a pretzel tree and a wooden box with 5 local beers. Each beer was different and we were told to try them all. At the end we were also offered shots of Jagdtraum Kräuterlikör (like a younger brother of Jägermeister).
The Valley Lager tastes fully mature and finely spicy-fresh with mild malt tones and light bitterness from exquisite Hallertauer aroma hops.”
Right: “A beer mix drink with the best raw materials from 50% light beer and 50% naturally cloudy lemon lemonade. Especially refreshing and thirst-quenching on hot days.“
After our Bavarian cruise, we returned to the ship for a special German dinner. The evening started in the lounge with an introduction of some of the ship personnel wearing traditional German attire. They led us from the lounge into the restaurant where each table had a red or blue checkered table cloth and napkins plus a pretzel tree, bread board, meat selection, and German mustards. In addition to the salad, side dish, and dessert buffet we had a choice of
- Roast leg of pork, bratwurst, meat-stuffed potato dumpling with gravy, sauerkraut, and knödel (bread dumpling)
- Viennese schnitzel, roast chicken, grilled cheese sausage, and potato salad
Don’t forget the German beer and wine. Oh my!
Wow! What a day filled with beautiful sights and regional food and beverages. Now it was time to waddle back to our stateroom and face-plant in the bed. See you tomorrow .
