District

Old Town

Passau's Old Town is the historic heart of the City of Three Rivers, set on a narrow headland that tapers like a wedge between the Danube and the Inn down to the Three Rivers Corner. Above the dense tangle of baroque townhouses, tight lanes and shaded courtyards rises the mighty St Stephen's Cathedral, home to the largest cathedral organ in the world with its roughly 17,000 pipes. Italian master builders gave the quarter its southern face after the great city fires of the 17th century — no wonder Passau is still fondly called the 'northernmost city of Italy'.

Stroll through the Old Town and history waits at every corner: the Old Town Hall with its carillon and flood markers, the stately Residenzplatz with the Wittelsbach fountain and the prince-bishops' New Residence. From the cathedral square, steps and alleys lead down to the Danube quay and the Inn promenade, both lined with cafés, workshops and galleries. At the very tip, the pale-green Danube, the turquoise Inn and the dark Ilz visibly merge at the Three Rivers Corner — the city's defining landmark.

The Old Town is at once stage and living room of Passau: university life, student cafés and small boutiques lend the historic ensemble a youthful energy. Everything here is within walking distance, and the bridges quickly carry you across to the Innstadt, the Ilzstadt and the Veste Oberhaus fortress.