10
July 2018
Currents
Globetrotter
By: Max Edwards
Passau, The City of Three Rivers
Passau, a German town in lower Bavaria, has
had a riparian window upon all of Europe’s history.
But this ancient city, with its resplendent Gothic and
Baroque architecture, has attrac-
tions for today’s active traveler.
More than 20% of the city’s
50,000 citizens are students,
many specializing in technology
studies. Thus, cafés and eater-
ies abound, and serve up hearty
German cuisine and myriad types
of beer.
Since the 2nd Century BC,
Passau was a settlement.
Romans created a colony here,
naming it Batavia. When consid-
ering Passau’s geography, one
can understand its desirability;
here, three rivers meet, the
Danube, Inn, and Itz. By 739,
the English monk, Boniface, had
established a diocese in Passau
which, for many years, was the
largest diocese in the Holy
Roman Empire.
Because of its proximity to the
Austrian border and the salt
mines of Salzburg, Passau, with
its river transport, became the
hub of the salt trade.
But it was sword-making, in
the Renaissance period, that
brought Passau fame. Artisans
forged a cabalistic wolf inscription
on their wares, conveying, it was
believed, invincible powers upon
the sword wielder. In centuries of
unending warfare and supersti-
tion, every advantage to the war-
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