Dom St Stephan

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  • Address
    Domplatz, Altstadt, 94032
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Lonely Planet review

The green onion domes of Passau's Dom St Stephan float serenely above the town's silhouette. There's been a church in this spot since the late 5th century, but what you see today is much younger thanks to the Great Fire of 1662, which ravaged much of the medieval town, including the ancient cathedral.

The rebuilding job went to a team of Italians, notably the architect Carlo Lurago and the stucco master Giovanni Battista Carlone. The result is a bit like standing on a tier of a wedding cake, with multidimensional decorations in every direction, including frescoes inspired by a tapestry series by Rubens. The lofty interior provides incredible acoustics for its pièce de résistance, the world's largest organ, above the main entrance, with four registers and an astonishing 17,974 pipes. Half-hour organ recitals take place at noon daily Monday to Saturday and at on Thursday from May to October and for a week around Christmas. Show up at least 30 minutes early to ensure a seat.

Outside on Domplatz stands a statue of Maximilian I Joseph, the first Bavarian king.