Museum · Old Town

Passau Glass Museum

The Passau Glass Museum, in the storied Hotel Wilder Mann on Rathausplatz, holds the world's most comprehensive collection of Bohemian glass. It occupies a cluster of several historic patrician houses on the Danube frontage, whose winding rooms and old vaults lend the tour a distinctive, almost enchanted character.

Across four floors, a labyrinthine route leads through 35 rooms displaying more than 30,000 objects. They document the history of glass art from Bohemia, Bavaria and Austria almost seamlessly, from the Baroque through Biedermeier, Historicism and Art Nouveau to Art Deco — from delicate drinking glasses and cut goblets through coloured overlay glass to ornate vases and chandeliers. At the same time, the museum highlights the region's centuries-old connection to glassmaking in the neighbouring Bavarian Forest and Bohemian Forest, where sand, timber and water power made the glassmaker's craft flourish.

The building is not only a collection but a piece of living city history: even Empress Elisabeth of Austria — 'Sisi' — is said to have stayed at the Wilder Mann; a memorial plaque recalls her visit. Its central location right on Rathausplatz makes the Glass Museum an ideal stop on a stroll through the old town.

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