Passau, the Three Rivers City, Celebrates
Dom und Resi
Ausflugsschiff
Italien Panorama
It’s 2012 and Passau is celebrating its 350th anniversary as a town built in Italian baroque style.
Dom und Resi
Ausflugsschiff
Italien Panorama
There are numerous events like concerts in the Cathedral, festivals, symposia, lectures, music performances, guided tours, etc. based on the theme “Baroque”. The ultimate highlight of the “Year of Baroque“ will be the “Baroque Festival“ in Passau’s city center from the 31st of August to the 2nd of September.
The origin of Passau’s townscape in Italian baroque style 350 years ago is the result of the most devastating tragedy that ever happened to the town. At noon on the 27th of April, 1662 a fire burned the medieval town to the ground. Just the sides of, the tower and parts of the cross of the gothic cathedral magically withstood the fire. The Prince-bishop of Passau, Wenzel of Thun, decided to rebuild the destroyed town in baroque style - the latest and most popular building style in Italy at that time. The Prince-bishop tasked famous Italian baroque masters and artists like the architect Carlo Lurago, the plasterer Giovanni Battista Carlone and the painter Carpoforo Tencalla to rebuild the cathedral of Passau. In the following twenty-five years Passau’s townscape got reborn in Italian baroque style with its glorious Cathedral of St. Steven with its three significant cupolas. The Cathedral of Passau is one of the largest Italian baroque buildings northern of the Alps.
Passau is going to celebrate its 350th anniversary of its baroque renaissance with a great “Baroque Festival” from the 31st of August to the 2nd of September in Passau’s city center. A three-day spectacle including an historical market with handicrafts, numerous cultural events, music performances, boat excursions, theme shopping, wining and dining, will feature local institutions, associations and guilds. Passau’s shops invite to you to enjoy “Midnight Shopping” on Friday, August 31st. There will be an enchanting and colorful baroque hustle and bustle on the streets of Passau on Saturday, September 1st & Sunday, September 2nd.
Events in Passau - 2012
January - December
Daily guided tours with iGuide - audio-visual guide; tourist offices
January - December
Daily guided city tours for groups - upon demand, pre booking requested
January - June and September - December
Stadttheater
Drama and music theatre, in the Prince-Bishop’s opera house
March - December
Danube cruises Wurm + Köck
Three-rivers roundtrip and boat excursions
May 2 - October 31
Organ concerts
On the world’s biggest cathedral organ; St. Steven’s Cathedral. Workdays from 12 - 12:30 p.m., Thursdays also at 7:30 p.m., except on Sundays and holidays
June 1 - June 3
4th Africa-Festival
Arts and crafts, music and culinary food; Klostergarten
June 2 - July 8
Burgenfestspiele Niederbayern
Open air theatre, opera, concerts at the Veste Oberhaus
June 29 - July 29
60th Festspiele Europäische Wochen Passau
Motto “An der schönen blauen Donau”
Festival with theatre, concerts, film, lectures and other cultural events in different venues in Passau, Upper Austria and the Czech Republic.
June 29 - July 1
Ilzer Haferlfest
Traditional festival with beer tents and performances in the Ilzstadt district
July 1
Antique Market in the pedestrian area
July 13
Night of Arts in the museums and galleries of Passau
July and August
Piazza Museo
Jazz festival, free entry; in front of the Museum of Modern Art, Bräugasse
August 11
Promenadenfest and Höllgassen-Zinnober
Festivals on the banks of the river Danube and in the Art alley Höllgasse
August 31 - September 2
Baroque Festival
City center, celebrating 350 years of the Baroque City Passau
September 7 - 16
Herbstdult
Traditional fair and beer festival in autumn at the Kohlbruck fairgrounds
End of September
Eco-Festival in Stelzlhof
Markets, regional and organic culinary specialties, music and a special program for children
October and November
14th Dancing days of Passau
Dancing performances; different venues
October and November
15th European Youth-Music-Festival
Different venues
October 2012 - March 2013
Passauer Konzertwinter
Classical music; different venues
November 1 - 4
International competition for Brass Instrument Ensembles in the city hall
November 30 - December 23
Christkindlmarkt
Christmas market on the square in front of the St. Steven’s Cathedral
December 6 and December 11
Holzmärkte
Markets for wood products; pedestrian zone
For numerous other events see the updated calendar of events and the Web page www.kalender.passau.de
All dates are subject to change
More information:
Passau Tourismus e. V., Tourist Association
Bahnhofstraße 28
94032 Passau
Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 851/ 95598-0
Fax: +49 (0) 851/57298
E-Mail: tourist-info@passau.de
english.passau.de/Home.aspx
www.barockstadt-passau.de
Passau Tourismus e.V.
Bahnhofstraße 28
94032 Passau
phone 0049/851/95598-0
www.tourism.passau.de
Passau has more to offer than fairs and festivals:
Passau is home to some 130 cafès, restaurants, inns, taverns, pubs, and bier gardens. In addition to regional cooking and local beer and wines there are offered as well as traditional foods there are plentiful other ethnic cuisines available from paella to Pad Thai.
Passau’s diversity stems from its ancient international past and being a major inland harbor and embarking point for passenger cruise ships. The Rhine-Main-Danube inland waterway extends from Holland on the North Sea to Odessa on the Black Sea, a good 1,900 miles.
Passau welcomed some 250,000 passengers who came through on 118 ships in 2010, while roughly 450,000 day cruise passengers enjoyed river cruises last year setting forth and returning to Passau on board its seven local tourist lines.
With the help of an audio-visual guide, English-speaking guests can experience a special guided tour through Passau. Via earphones as well as with images, the electronic guide provides information about Passau’s history and most important sights. The audio-visual guides are distributed for a small fee in the Tourist Information office.
