Passau#Subdivisions

In the 2nd century BC, many of the Boii tribe were pushed north across the Alps out of northern Italy by the Romans. They established a new capital called Boiodurum by the Romans (from Gaulish {{lang|xtg|Boioduron}}), now within the Innstadt district of Passau.{{cite book |last=Collis |first=John |title=The Celts: Origins, Myth and Inventions |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MrcWAQAAIAAJ&q=Boiodurum+ |publisher=Tempus Publishing |year=2003 |isbn=978-0752429137 |url-access=subscription }}

Passau was an ancient Roman colony called Batavis, Latin for "for the Batavi". The Batavi were an ancient Germanic tribe from area of the Rhine delta who frequently served in the Roman army as auxiliary troops. Batavis (Passau-Altstadt) was a Roman castrum in the province of Raetia, while another late Roman castrum, Boiotro (Passau-Innstadt), was in the province of Noricum.

During the second half of the 5th century, St. Severinus established a monastery here. The site was subject to repeated raids by the Alemanni.{{cite book |last=Drinkwater |first=John F. |title=The Alamanni and Rome 213–496 (Caracalla to Clovis) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n_gTDAAAQBAJ |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-19929568-5}} In 739, the recently consecrated English archbishop Boniface founded the diocese of Passau, which for many years was the largest diocese of the German Kingdom/Holy Roman Empire, covering territory in southern Bavaria and most of what is now Upper and Lower Austria. From the 10th century the bishops of Passau also exercised secular authority as Prince-Bishops in the immediate area around Passau (see {{ill|Prince-Bishopric of Passau|de|Hochstift Passau}}).

Before the Holocaust, there was a small Jewish community present in Passau, with Jews being mentioned as early as the 10th century.{{cite web |title=Passau |url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/passau |website=Jewish Virtual Library |access-date=21 June 2024}}

File:Passau Braun-Hogenberg.jpg

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 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. According to the {{lang|de|Donau-Zeitung}}, aside from the wolf, some cabalistic signs and inscriptions were added.{{sfn | Rosmus | 2015 | p=201}} 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".Eduard Wagner, Cut and Thrust Weapons, 1969. Other cities' smiths, including those of Solingen, 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.

In 1662, a devastating fire consumed most of the city. Passau was subsequently rebuilt in the Baroque style.

Passau was secularised and divided between the Electorate of Bavaria and the Electorate of Salzburg in 1803. The portion belonging to Salzburg became part of Bavaria in 1805.

File:Passau 1892. old photo.jpg

From 1892 until 1894, Adolf Hitler and his family lived in Passau.{{sfn | Rosmus | 2015 | p=20f}} The city archives mention Hitler being in Passau on four occasions in the 1920s for speeches. In addition, Heinrich Himmler spent some time there.

In November 1933, the building of {{lang|de|Nibelungenhalle}} (Hall of the Nibelungs) was announced. Intended to hold 8,000 to 10,000 guests, and another 30,000 in front of it, in 1935 the hall also became quarters for a unit of the Austrian Legion.{{sfn | Rosmus | 2015 | p=98–101}} Beginning in 1934, these troops had occupied a building that belonged to Sigmund Mandl, a Jewish merchant. That building, in turn, was referred to as SA barracks.{{sfn | Rosmus | 2015 | p=102f}}

Beginning in 1940, Passau offered the building at Bräugasse 13 to Volksdeutsche Mittelstelle.{{sfn | Rosmus | 2015 | p=241ff}}

During World War II, the city also housed three sub-camps of the infamous Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp: Passau I (Oberilzmühle),{{sfn | Rosmus | 2015 | p=207f}} Passau II (Waldwerke Passau-Ilzstadt) and Passau III (Jandelsbrunn). From January to May 1945, refugees from East Prussia and Silesia passed the city, after May, as the result of ethnic cleansing of neighboring Bohemia and Moravia of their German populace, further waves of refugees arrived in the city.{{cite book |title=Vertreibung aus Mähren: Der Todesmarsch von Brünn |lang=de |author=Egon Harings |publisher=tredition |year=2019 |isbn=978-3748275091}}

On 3 May 1945 a message from Major General Stanley Eric Reinhart’s 261st Infantry Regiment stated at 3:15 am: "AMG Officer has unconditional surrender of PASSAU signed by Burgermeister, Chief of Police and Lt. Col of Med Corps there. All troops are to turn themselves in this morning."

It was the site of a post World War II American sector displaced persons camp.

File: Passau Bavaria high water Sept. 2, 2024.jpg

On 2 June 2013, the old town suffered from severe flooding as a result of several days of rain and its location at the confluence of three rivers.{{cite news |title=Floods threaten Dresden as Prague river levels fall |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22752544 |work=BBC News |date=4 June 2013}} Peak elevations of floods as early as 1501 are displayed on a wall at the Old City Hall.{{cite report |last=Eychaner |first=James H. |year=2015 |title=Lessons from a 500-year record of flood elevations |url=http://www.floods.org/ace-files/documentlibrary/publications/asfpmpubs-techrep7_2015.pdf |publisher=Association of State Floodplain Managers |edition=Technical Report 7 |location=Madison, Wisconsin |access-date=28 September 2018 |archive-date=27 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150627192514/http://www.floods.org/ace-files/documentlibrary/Publications/asfpmpubs-techrep7_2015.pdf |url-status=dead}} Flood water reaches the base of that wall on average once every 5 years.{{rp|19}}

Image:Buergerversammlungsgebiete Passau.jpg

Until 2013, the City of Passau was subdivided into eight statistical districts, which in general coincided with formerly separate municipalities. Since 2013, the city is divided in 16 so-called areas of open council ({{langx|de|Bürgerversammlungsgebiete}}).

Many river cruises down the Danube start at Passau and there is a cycling path all the way down to Vienna. It is on the designated heritage route, the Route of Emperors and Kings.{{cite web |title=The Route of Emperors and Kings |url=https://www.routeofemperorsandkings.com/}}

Passau is notable for its gothic and baroque architecture. The city is dominated by the Veste Oberhaus and the Veste Niederhaus, both parts of the former fortress of the Bishop, on the mountain crest between the Danube and the Ilz.

Tourism in Passau focuses mainly on the three rivers, the St. Stephen's Cathedral ({{langx|de|Der Passauer Stephansdom}}) and the "Old City" ({{lang|de|Die Altstadt}}).

With 17,774 pipes and 233 registers,{{cite journal |title=Europe's Largest Pipe Organ |url=http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/europes-largest-pipe-organ |journal=Atlas Obscura |access-date=28 September 2018}} 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 of Los Angeles, which was expanded in 1994. Organ concerts are held daily between May and September. St. Stephen's is a true masterpiece of Italian Baroque, built by Italian architect Carlo Lurago and decorated in part by Carpoforo Tencalla.

Among many other churches are the Jesuits church of St. Michael, the oldest parish church of St. Paul and the pilgrim church Mariahilf on the hill south of the rivers Inn and Danube.

Before the cathedral is a large square (Domplatz) with the Lamberg-Palais, where the Peace of Passau was concluded.

The medieval Old Residence south of the cathedral and the baroque New Residence further west at Residenzplatz were the palaces of the Prince-Bishops within the city. Right beside the 14th century Gothic city hall with its neo-Gothic tower and the big 19th-century former {{lang|de|Hauptzollamtsgebäude}} (Main Customs Office) at the Danube is the Scharfrichterhaus, an important jazz and cabaret stage on which political cabaret is performed.

Image:Passau Altstadt Panorama 1.jpg

Image:Passau Panorama 080420 2.jpg

Due to its location on the German–Austrian border, and in the south-east of the country, Passau has become a major migrant entry point into Germany. Refugees and economic migrants from the Middle East, Asia and Africa who have reached Europe, often entering either overland via Greece or across the sea via the Mediterranean (see Operation Triton), then head north and sometimes enter Germany. In 2015 the BBC reported that traffickers drive migrants and refugees through Austria and leave them on the side of the autobahn. The migrants and refugees then often walk unaccompanied into Passau, the first German town northwards. This situation has caused the government of Passau to divert funds from flood prevention to housing and feeding the refugees and migrants, around 10% of whom are unaccompanied children.{{cite news |title=Passau in Germany struggles to support asylum seekers |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-33208007 |date=19 June 2015 |last=Hill |first=Jenny |work=BBC News}}

Passau is twinned with:{{cite web|title=Partnerschaften und Städtefreundschaften|url=https://www.passau.de/LebeninPassau/Kultur/Passauinternational/PartnerschaftenundStaedtefreundschaften.aspx|website=passau.de|publisher=Passau|language=de|access-date=2021-03-07|archive-date=2020-09-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200926122741/https://www.passau.de/LebeninPassau/Kultur/Passauinternational/PartnerschaftenundStaedtefreundschaften.aspx|url-status=dead}}

{{div col|colwidth=23em}}

• {{flagicon|USA}} Hackensack, United States (1952)
• {{flagicon|FRA}} Cagnes-sur-Mer, France (1973)
• {{flagicon|AUT}} Krems an der Donau, Austria (1974)
• {{flagicon|JPN}} Akita, Japan (1984)
• {{flagicon|ESP}} Málaga, Spain (1987)
• {{flagicon|CZE}} České Budějovice, Czech Republic (1993)
• {{flagicon|CHN}} Liuzhou, China (1999)
• {{flagicon|HUN}} Veszprém, Hungary (1999)
• {{flagicon|ITA}} Montecchio Maggiore, Italy (2003)

{{div col end}}

{{div col|colwidth=30em}}

• Otto of Passau (died after 1383/86), clerical author
• Gottlieb Muffat (1690–1770), organist and composer
• Joseph Ferdinand Damberger (1795–1859), historian
• Joseph Maximilian von Maillinger (1820–1901), general and war minister
• Hans Fruhstorfer (1866–1922), explorer and entomologist
• Georg Philipp Wörlen (1886–1954), painter
• Christian Rub (1886–1956), actor
• Adolf Hitler (1889−1945), lived here in 1892–1894 with his family
• Henry Gerber (1892−1972), early U.S. gay rights activist
• Ludwig Schmidseder (1904–1971), composer and pianist
• Albert Ganzenmüller (1905–1996), Nazi politician
• Alfred Dick (1927–2005), politician
• Nicolaus A. Huber (born 1939), composer
• Heidi Schüller (born 1950), athlete
• Bruno Jonas (born 1952), cabaret artist and actor
• Anna Rosmus (born 1960), author, Third Reich historian
• Andreas Seidl (born 1976), CEO of Sauber Motorsport and former team principal for McLaren
• Andreas Scheuer (born 1974), politician (CSU)
• Florian Silbereisen (born 1981), singer and television presenter
• Gisela Mashayekhi-Beer (born before 1983), Austrian flautist
• Michael Ammermüller (born 1986), race car driver

{{div col end}}

{{Weather box

| location = Passau (Fürstenzell) (1991–2020 normals)

| metric first = Y

| single line = Y

|collapsed = Y

|Jan high C = 1.3

|Feb high C = 3.8

|Mar high C = 8.8

|Apr high C = 14.7

|May high C = 18.9

|Jun high C = 22.5

|Jul high C = 24.0

|Aug high C = 23.8

|Sep high C = 18.8

|Oct high C = 13.0

|Nov high C = 6.4

|Dec high C = 2.3

| year high C = 13.2

|Jan mean C = -1.2

|Feb mean C = 0.5

|Mar mean C = 4.5

|Apr mean C = 9.5

|May mean C = 13.8

|Jun mean C = 17.3

|Jul mean C = 18.6

|Aug mean C = 18.5

|Sep mean C = 13.9

|Oct mean C = 9.0

|Nov mean C = 3.6

|Dec mean C = 0.0

|year mean C = 9.0

|Jan low C = -3.7

|Feb low C = -2.6

|Mar low C = 0.6

|Apr low C = 4.5

|May low C = 8.8

|Jun low C = 12.3

|Jul low C = 13.6

|Aug low C = 13.5

|Sep low C = 9.6

|Oct low C = 5.5

|Nov low C = 1.1

|Dec low C = -2.3

| year low C = 5.1

| precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 66.5

|Feb precipitation mm = 57.2

|Mar precipitation mm = 69.5

|Apr precipitation mm = 46.4

|May precipitation mm = 93.6

|Jun precipitation mm = 86.0

|Jul precipitation mm = 111.0

|Aug precipitation mm = 92.5

|Sep precipitation mm = 71.8

|Oct precipitation mm = 64.0

|Nov precipitation mm = 56.4

|Dec precipitation mm = 61.4

| year precipitation mm = 872.4

| unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 17.4

|Feb precipitation days = 14.6

|Mar precipitation days = 15.2

|Apr precipitation days = 11.8

|May precipitation days = 15.6

|Jun precipitation days = 15.5

|Jul precipitation days = 16.5

|Aug precipitation days = 13.8

|Sep precipitation days = 12.9

|Oct precipitation days = 14.8

|Nov precipitation days = 14.2

|Dec precipitation days = 17.5

|year precipitation days = 180.2

|Jan sun = 57.0

|Feb sun = 92.9

|Mar sun = 148.4

|Apr sun = 205.5

|May sun = 223.8

|Jun sun = 242.8

|Jul sun = 241.6

|Aug sun = 236.6

|Sep sun = 176.1

|Oct sun = 116.0

|Nov sun = 58.3

|Dec sun = 49.2

|year sun = 1846.5

|Jan humidity = 90.2

|Feb humidity = 84.1

|Mar humidity = 76.5

|Apr humidity = 69.1

|May humidity = 72.1

|Jun humidity = 82.5

|Jul humidity = 73.8

|Aug humidity = 74.6

|Sep humidity = 81.3

|Oct humidity = 87.2

|Nov humidity = 92.2

|Dec humidity = 91.9

|unit snow days = 1.0 cm

|Jan snow days = 18.2

|Feb snow days = 14.7

|Mar snow days = 6.8

|Apr snow days = 0.2

|May snow days = 0

|Jun snow days = 0

|Jul snow days = 0

|Aug snow days = 0

|Sep snow days = 0

|Oct snow days = 0.1

|Nov snow days = 3.9

|Dec snow days = 11.4

|year snow days =

| source 1 = World Meteorological Organization{{cite web

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20231012154025/https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Germany/CSV/Fuerstenzell_10895.csv

| archive-date = 12 October 2023

| url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Germany/CSV/Fuerstenzell_10895.csv

| title = World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991–2020

| work = World Meteorological Organization Climatological Standard Normals (1991–2020)

| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

| access-date = 12 October 2023}}

}}

• University of Passau
• Athanor Academy of Performing Arts Passau

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book| last=Huber| first=Gerald| title=Kleine Geschichte Niederbayerns: überarbeitete und ergänzte Auflage| publisher=Friedrich Pustet| location=Regensburg| year=2010| isbn=978-3-7917-2048-7}}
• {{cite book| last=Wagner| first=Christoph| title=Entwicklung, Herrschaft und Untergang der nationalsozialistischen Bewegung in Passau 1920 bis 1945| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LwNEnI5yRucC&q=Entwicklung,+Herrschaft+und+Untergang+der+nationalsozialistischen+Bewegung+in+Passau+1920+bis+1945| publisher=Frank & Timme| location=Berlin| year=2007| isbn=978-3-86596-117-4}} Passau, Universität, Dissertation, 2005
• {{cite book| last=Weithmann| first=Michael W.| title=Kleine Passauer Stadtgeschichte| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ixYiAQAAIAAJ&q=Kleine+Passauer+Stadtgeschichte| publisher=Friedrich Pustet| location=Regensburg| year=2004| isbn=978-3791718705}}
• {{cite book |editor-first=John M. |editor-last=Jeep |title=Medieval Germany: an Encyclopedia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p4uHav3mZLsC |year=2001 |publisher=Garland Publishing |isbn=978-0824076443 |chapter= Passau}}
• {{cite book | last=Rosmus | first=Anna | authorlink=Anna Rosmus|title=Hitlers Nibelungen | date=2015-08-15 | publisher=Samples Grafenau|isbn=978-3-938401-32-3 | language=de}}

{{Commons|Passau}}

{{Wikivoyage|Passau}}

• {{Official website}} {{in lang|de}}
• [http://www.passau-wiki.de Passau Wiki] {{in lang|de}}
• [https://www.flickr.com/search/?q=Passau Passau] at Flickr
• [https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&msa=0&t=h&msid=100264867523841558616.00044ecceb586c67086dc&ll=48.574197,13.465639&spn=0.001725,0.005&z=18 Passau Cathedral, which is famous for its organ with 17,774 pipes and 233 registers - the biggest church organ on Earth] - Zoomable map and satellite overview (Google Maps).
• [http://apnews.myway.com/article/20150916/eu--germany-migrants-first_stop-59fc313539.html First stop for new arrivals in Germany: bureaucracy] (My Way news, September 16th, 2015)

{{Germany districts bavaria}}

{{Danube}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Lower Bavaria

Category:Populated places on the Danube

Category:Populated places on the Inn (river)

Category:Roman fortifications in Raetia

Category:Urban districts of Bavaria