Pampered in Passau
We had a balmy 41 degrees today, but for the first time it was drippy and misty. Not discouraged, I layered my wardrobe to stay dry and warm. Our walking tour, as most of the walking tours, was led by a local guide who shared massive amounts of information about his/her local town. The focal point of the tour, naturally, was the baroque church of St. Stephens here. I learned a lot--probably stuff most of you already know--"baroque" means curved--and the church and old town buildings reveal curved, rather than straight lines and walls. Some structures bow out over the street, and the inside of the church was filled with curved lines. Loved the church, and as with most massive cathedrals, one feels very small and humbled by the majestic power the structure exudes.
Our guide shared that in the baroque style, the columns within the church are plain at the bottom, and as they ascend heavenward, they become more ornate and celebrate the glory of God.
The original church burned in 1662, and Italians were hired to build this one, which they did over a period of 30 years. They reached Passau from Italy by walking over the Alps--worked for 6 months and then left to go back home during the winter months. Many miles to traverse over 30 years! The church is known not only for its baroque design, but also for its organs--five of them. The most recent rebuild of them was 1979-1981. We were fortunate enough to hear one of the 30-minute organ concerts, actually a huge "wow" spectacular--the church was packed with tourists--many of them on a river cruise like us. The final piece, the toccata, I recognized as the recessional to our wedding. Oh my, Peter--wish you could've heard it!
Just one more church statistic--in 1803 Germany officially mandated separation of church and state. The state owns the church buildings and the churches "rent" them from the state. This works well for the churches, since the buildings require constant structural and ornamental care--something the state, not the churches, pays for.
Passau lies at the confluence of three rivers--the Danube, the Inn, and the Ils. Consequently the town is not unfamiliar with flooding. It's not uncommon for cities in flood-prone areas to record the record water levels on buildings. Notice 2013--the second highest water ever recorded, and now just two years later, they have some of the lowest water levels ever recorded.
Our guide discussed how the 2013 flood here devastated the town, but with the "relief" fund provided by the government, homes were able to be repaired and re-furnished--100%. The homes of citizens were repaired first, and even now the city/state structures are being re-done. Because the flood waters of 2013 completely obliterated the lower floors of homes and businesses, we were told that 100,000 volunteers arrived in Passau and that within four (4!) days, the debris was removed from the structures so they could then dry out and be repaired. Remarkable!
Salt played a huge roll in Passau's history. Because it preserved food, salt became more precious than silver, and at one time 30 tons of salt passed through the town daily. Here it was off-loaded and sent further into Germany or down to Austria. The fortress looming above the town housed soldiers who were on the lookout for anyone pillaging salt from the barges.
I wandered the cobblestoned alleys on my way back to the ship after the organ concert. Grabbing a soup and sandwich on the ship for lunch, I again marveled at the priviledge of taking such a trip and experience such pampering. One could get used to this. Bring it on!
