Oberhausmuseum

The Oberhausmuseum stands on the Veste Oberhaus, one of Europe’s largest surviving hilltop fortresses, overlooking the rivers Danube, Inn and Ilz where they meet in Passau. Built to defend the prince-bishopric, the complex spreads across 2 500 square metres of vaulted rooms and courtyards. A circular route links eight exhibition clusters, the Batterie Linde lookout and an observation tower with sweeping views over the three rivers and the Bavarian Forest. The museum’s origins trace back to 1885 when Anton Niederleuthner turned the fortress’s observation tower into a small tourist display. After the city acquired the Veste in 1931, the collections moved in and the institution opened in 1952 under its present name. Successive directors, from Max Heuwieser to Stefanie Buchhold, shaped the museum’s identity as a regional memory bank. Visitors find permanent displays on Passau’s history from Celtic times to the end of the prince-bishopric in 1803. The medieval section recreates life on the Veste with furnishings, feasting gear and a cold storage room. Other galleries hold Passau-made porcelain, Bohemian glass brought by post-war refugees, firefighting equipment and late-medieval church art. Temporary exhibitions in the New Collection focus on 20th-century regional art and propaganda.