Passau facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Passau
Donaulände and Old town
Flag Coat of arms
Country	Germany
State	Bavaria
Admin. region	Niederbayern
District	Urban district
Elevation	294-447 m (−1,172.5 ft)
Population  (2022-12-31)
• Total	53,907
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	94001–94036
Dialling codes	0851
Vehicle registration	PA
Website	www.passau.de

Aerial view of Passau, showing the old town and where the Inn, Danube, and Ilz rivers meet.

Passau is a city in Lower Bavaria, Germany. It is often called the Dreiflüssestadt ("City of Three Rivers"). This is because the Danube river meets two other rivers here: the Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north.

Passau has about 50,000 people living there. Around 12,000 of them are students at the University of Passau. This university is well-known in Germany for its studies in economics, law, religion, computer science, and cultural topics.

History of Passau

Early Settlements and Roman Times

Around 200 BC, a group of people called the Boii tribe moved north across the Alps. They set up a new main city called Boiodurum. Today, this area is part of Passau's Innstadt district.

Later, Passau became an ancient Roman settlement named Batavis. This name means "for the Batavi." The Batavi were a Germanic tribe who often served in the Roman army. Batavis was a Roman fort in the area of Raetia. Another Roman fort, Boiotro, was in the area of Noricum.

Monasteries and Bishops

In the late 400s, St. Severinus started a monastery here. The area was often attacked by the Alemanni tribe. In 739, an English archbishop named Boniface started the diocese of Passau. For many years, this was the largest church area in the German Kingdom and Holy Roman Empire. It covered parts of southern Bavaria and most of what is now Upper and Lower Austria. From the 900s, the bishops of Passau also ruled the local area as Prince-Bishops.

A small Jewish community lived in Passau before World War II. Jews were first mentioned in the city as early as the 900s.

Important Treaties and Craftsmanship

Passau around 1581.

The Peace of Passau was signed in 1552. In this agreement, Archduke Ferdinand I worked with the Protestant princes. They agreed to discuss religious issues at a special meeting. This meeting later led to the Peace of Augsburg in 1555.

During the Renaissance period, Passau was famous for making swords and other bladed weapons. Only Solingen made more. Smiths in Passau put a special wolf symbol on their blades. This wolf was a simpler version of the wolf on the city's coat-of-arms. Many warriors believed that the Passau wolf made the sword's owner unbeatable. Because of this, Passau swords were very valuable. Sometimes, other special symbols were added to the swords. This practice of adding charms to swords for protection became known as "Passau art." Smiths from other cities, like Solingen, started using the Passau wolf too. By the 1600s, Solingen was making more wolf-stamped blades than Passau.

Fires and Modern History

In 1662, a huge fire destroyed most of Passau. The city was then rebuilt in the beautiful Baroque style.

In 1803, Passau's church rule ended. The city was split between the Electorate of Bavaria and the Electorate of Salzburg. The part that belonged to Salzburg became part of Bavaria in 1805.

Passau in 1892.

From 1892 to 1894, Adolf Hitler and his family lived in Passau.

During World War II, Passau had three smaller camps connected to the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp. From January to May 1945, people fleeing from East Prussia and Silesia passed through the city. After May, more people arrived in Passau. These were Germans who had to leave their homes in nearby Bohemia and Moravia.

On May 3, 1945, Passau officially surrendered to the American forces. After the war, Passau was a place where many people who had lost their homes found shelter.

High-water scale in Passau, showing flood levels from 1501 to 2024.

On June 2, 2013, the old town of Passau had severe flooding. This happened after many days of rain and because the city is where three rivers meet. You can see the highest flood levels from as early as 1501 marked on a wall at the Old City Hall. Floodwaters usually reach the base of that wall about once every five years.

City Areas

Areas of open council in Passau.

Until 2013, Passau was divided into eight main areas. These areas were usually old towns that had joined Passau. Since 2013, the city has 16 "areas of open council" (German: Bürgerversammlungsgebiete).

Main Sights in Passau

Many river cruises on the Danube river start in Passau. There is also a cycling path that goes all the way to Vienna. Passau is part of a special heritage route called the Route of Emperors and Kings.

Passau is famous for its Gothic and baroque architecture. The city is overlooked by the Veste Oberhaus and the Veste Niederhaus. These were once parts of the bishop's fortress. They sit on the hill between the Danube and Ilz rivers.

Visitors to Passau mostly enjoy the three rivers, the St. Stephen's Cathedral (German: Der Passauer Stephansdom), and the "Old City" (Die Altstadt).

The organ at St. Stephen's Cathedral is very impressive. It has 17,774 pipes and 233 stops! For a long time, it was the biggest church pipe organ in the world. Today, it is the second largest. Organ concerts are held daily from May to September. St. Stephen's is a beautiful example of Italian Baroque style. It was built by Italian architect Carlo Lurago and decorated by Carpoforo Tencalla.

Other churches include the Jesuits church of St. Michael, the old parish church of St. Paul, and the Mariahilf pilgrim church. Mariahilf is on the hill south of the Inn and Danube rivers.

In front of the cathedral is a large square called Domplatz. Here you can find the Lamberg-Palais, where the Peace of Passau was signed. The medieval Old Residence and the baroque New Residence were palaces where the Prince-Bishops lived. Next to the 14th-century Gothic city hall is the Scharfrichterhaus. This is a well-known place for jazz music and comedy shows.

Image gallery

{{gallery style="text-align:center;" mode="packed" widths="300px" heights="300px" Passau Altstadt Panorama 1.jpg|Passau from the Veste Oberhaus, looking across the Danube, March 2007 Passau Panorama 080420 2.jpg|Passau from the south, looking across the river Inn, April 2008 }}

Helping People in Need

Because Passau is located on the border between Germany and Austria, it has become a place where many people seeking safety arrive in Germany. These people, often from the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, travel through Europe. They sometimes walk into Passau, which is the first German town they reach. This situation has led the city of Passau to use money that was planned for flood protection to help house and feed these people. About 10% of them are children traveling alone.

Sister Cities

Passau has special friendships with other cities around the world. These are called "twin towns" or "sister cities":

Famous People from Passau

Many notable people have connections to Passau:

Climate

See also

In Spanish: Passau para niños