Lamberg-Palais

The Lamberg-Palais stands in Passau’s old town beside the cathedral on Domplatz. Built for the Lamberg prince-bishops, it was finished in 1724 by Johann Michael Prunner of Linz. In 1552 the building witnessed the signing of the Passauer Religious Treaty, marked by a 1790 tablet on its front wall. Until the secularisation of 1803 it housed canons’ quarters like the other houses around the square. Today it forms part of the cathedral precinct and shows the refined style of early 18th-century ecclesiastical architecture. The palace is worth visiting for its role in a turning point of German religious history. The 1552 treaty here temporarily settled Protestant-Catholic disputes before the Thirty Years’ War. The exterior plaque of 1790 records that moment for passers-by. Inside, the former canon’s court has been quietly reorganised as a branch of the Liga Bank, preserving the building’s purpose while adapting it to modern use. Visitors find a dignified baroque façade framed by the cathedral’s towers. The 1790 inscription above the door remains clearly legible. Inside, the former living quarters of canons have become offices, yet the high ceilings and panelled doors still hint at their original function. The palace sits directly on the broad Domplatz, so after viewing it one can walk straight into the cathedral or along the riverside paths beside the Inn.