Today we got up and decided we would hike up to the famous fortress that has wonderful views of the city and the three rivers. We got to the hiking spot and there was a sign saying the pathway was closed due to a landslide. We ended up walking up the cobbled stone street to the top. It was very steep and we were sweaty by the time we got to the top.
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| The VERY steep walk up to the fortress |
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| Inside the walls of the fortress |
The famous fortress, Veste Oberhaus, was built in the 1200s for the Prince Bishop Ulrich II. It is now a museum, with incredible historical artifacts, and great views of the town and rivers below.
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| view from the fortress of the 3 rivers coming together (see the 3 color variations, those are not shadows) |
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| view from the fortress |
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| Cathedral in downtown Passau |
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| The fortress on the other side of the river in Austria |
When many of the first bishops arrived to the town centuries ago, they felt that only Italian architecture was the best, so they hired famous architects and painters from Italy to come and help design some of the town in the Baroque style. there is quite a bit of Italian food here as well. Despite being a German town, Passau is known for its pizza and pasta! Inside the museum you could also see some of the Italian influence on their design and architecture.
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| an original coin press |
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| Some of the various coins over the last 600 years! |
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| Some of the fire trucks from the last 300 years |
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| Apothecary |
After lunch, we walked to the St Stephens Cathedral in central Passau. The hand painted ceilings, the hand carved columns, and everything else about this church was exquisite. Even the podiums were incredibly intricate. Outside of the Vatican, this may be one of the most intricate Catholic churches we have ever seen. St Stephens is also home to the 2nd largest organ on the world.
This town is known for flooding because it sits at the base of not just one, but 3 rivers. The main church in the old town of Passau keeps a flood height chart by the main door with the years the flood occurred. They do not have mandatory evacuations, so many people just stayed in their homes, or temporarily moved in with friends who live on higher floors until the water receded. As you can tell from the chart, the town floods quite frequently, but people still rebuild/repair and move right back in.
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| In the flood of 2002, the water came all the way up to the black car in the photo |
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| A painting we bought of an artists rendering of the flood of 2002 |
Tomorrow we are off to the port town of Linz, and then we will take a bus/train to Salzburg, Austria!
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