Danube River Christmas Market Cruise - 12 December Regensburg

 

12-13 December                    Regensburg and Rhine-Main-Danube Canal

We left Passau at 6 PM on our way to Regensburg.  We had to leave earlier than expected as Germany is having difficulties in hiring enough lock workers, therefore, the locks are closed from 1- 5 AM.  That meant we had to stop and wait to get through the last of the locks, but the Captain did manage to pass through the majority of the locks on this section of the Danube so we were only about 2 hours delayed in getting to Regensburg.  We docked about 9:30 this morning.

Regensburg used to be the capital of Bavaria before it was moved to Munich.  It is considered one of Germany’s most beautiful and well-preserved medieval cities, with architecture dating back to the 13^th-16^th centuries.  The city has one of the largest groupings of 13th- and 14th-century church spires, towers and patrician houses.  Amazingly it escaped damage and destruction in WWII. 

This morning after breakfast, the chef gave a demonstration on stollen baking.  This is a very popular German yeast sweet bread with lots of nuts and dried fruits.  According to Bill it was edible, but not very tasty.

After lunch, we had a walking tour of the Old Town with Benjamin, a local guide.  He was very knowledgeable and passionate about Regensburg.  Our first stop was at the Porta Praetoria, one of the two remaining Roman gates north of the Alps (the other one is the Porta Nigra in Trier).  Built in 179 AD it is Germany’s most ancient stone building and its arch is the tallest Roman structure in Bavaria.  It used to be the north entrance of the wall that surrounded Castra Regina, the Roman settlement and military camp.

We then walked to the Stone Bridge, Germany’s oldest bridge constructed during the 12^th century.  The bridge has 16 graceful arches.  Today, as a result of the damage down by heavy vehicular traffic and water and salt damage caused by poor drainage and a lack of sealant on the stonework, the bridge is only open to pedestrians and bicycles.  Also, the river around the bridge is restricted to recreational boats – commercial and river cruise boats cannot pass under the bridge as its arches are too narrow.  They must now bypass it by sailing to the north on the Regensburg Regen-Danube Canal. 

Benjamin loved to tell stories about some of Regensburg’s legends, and this bridge was one of his favorites.  According to legend, a bet was made between the cathedral builder (the master) and the bridge builder (his apprentice) as to which one would finish first.  When the bridge builder realized that the cathedral was progressing faster than his bridge, he made a pact with the Devil.  In exchange for the souls of the first three to cross the bridge, the Devil agreed to help the bridge builder, which he did and the bridge was finished first.  However, when the bridge builder realized that he along with the mayor and another ranking citizen of the city would be the first three to cross over the bridge, he decided to trick the Devil by sending a rooster, a hen, and a dog across the bridge first.  This so enraged the Devil that he tried to destroy the bridge, but failed, and that is why today there is a bend or kink in one the pylons that the bridge sits on (in the photo of the at the end of this blog, it is the pylon closest to the dock).  And on the cathedral, there is a statue of a falling man that is said to be the master throwing himself off the building when he realized that he had lost.  In truth, the bridge had already been completed when construction on the cathedral began in 1273.

As we walked up the streets toward the Dom St. Peter, Regensburg’s Cathedral, we stopped by a large building known as the Goliathause (Goliath House).  Built in 1260 as a patrician city castle, the house was located on the southern base of the old roman fort.  On the side of the building is a large mural of David and Goliath painted in 1573.  While no one knows the actual origin of the painting or what it symbolizes, Benjamin pointed out several theories or legends.  Perhaps the most acuate is that the house was named for visiting theology students who were called Goliards as their guardian angel was known as Golias.  The painting thus reflects the name and is not at all related to the biblical story.  As this house is in an area where merchants lived, another theory is that the painting symbolizes a haughty merchant (Goliath) who is defeated by an honest merchant (David).  And the last legend is that it reflects the fight the citizens waged with the Duchy of Bavaria to keep Regensburg a free city.  Whatever the meaning of the painting is, it is a wonderful mural.  If you look closely, you can see Goliath’s arm resting on the edge of a window.

We then walked up the streets to the Dom St. Peter, Regensburg’s cathedral.  With its two twin spires, it is said to be the best gothic church in Germany.  The gothic style uses tall windows and height to symbolize reaching for the heavens.

Walking from the Cathedral, Benjamin pointed out a tower (Gold Tower) that was built between two lower buildings.  He said that it was not part of the ancient fortifications of Regensburg, but merely a tower build by a rich man just to show off his wealth.  Oh, to be that wealthy!

There we saw the Altes Rathaus (Town Hall), once the seat of the Reichstag from 1663-1806.  Dating from the 13^th century, the Town Hall consists of 3 buildings – the Imperial Hall with its bay window, the portal building with a staircase and gateway, and the oldest building (in the style of a patrician house) that includes the Town Hall Tower.  On the corner of the portal building, Benjamin showed us a bronze device that was once a unit of measurement used by medieval merchants.

Near the Altes Rathaus is a statue of Don Juan de Austria, a Spanish admiral and governor who had ties to Regensburg.  It was here that Benjamin finished a story about Don Juan de Austria’s mother which he had started earlier in the walk.  Don Juan’s mother was Barbara Blomberg, a commoner who had an affair with Emperor Charles V, the Archduke of Austria and King of Spain.  After his mother married another man and moved to Brussels, Charles had the boy, then called Jeromin, taken to Spain to live with his chief of household, Don Luis de Quijade and his wife, Dona Magdalena, at their castle.  While Charles never openly acknowledge Jeromin as his son, his older son, Philip II, who became King of Spain following his father’s death, welcomed him as his brother and renamed him Juan de Austria.  Juan then made a name for himself for his military prowess in quelling a revolt in Granada and later as the supreme commander who helped turn the tide of the Ottoman Empire’s invasion by defeating the Turks in a 1571 naval battle.

The tour ended, where else but the Regensburg Christmas Market in Neupfarrplatz.  We walked through the market enjoying the sights, sounds, and smells, and of course, the hot glühwein.

This evening after dinner the ugly sweater contest was held.  Bill and I both had bought Christmas sweaters in the Vienna Christmas market.  Mine was just cute with a cat inside a wreath.  But Bill’s was more on the ugly or inappropriate side – you can all form your own opinions.  But he took 2^nd place in the contest.  The winners were 2 couples that were completely decked out in Christmas wear, to include one sweater that played “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree.”

We overnighted in Regensburg and before we left the next morning, we had a demonstration from a glassblower.  As he lived three hours from Regensburg, he may have been the same glassblower that we had on the Rhine River Christmas Market Cruise.  He told us a little about himself and how he moved from being an industrial glassblower (test tubes, etc.) to a decorative glassblower making candle holders and glass ornaments.  He does beautiful work.  It was a fascinating show, but you have to wonder about all the propane and fire that was in our lounge area.  The good thing was we were still docked by the shore. 

After he left the ship, we departed for our last port of call – Nuremberg.  We will be sailing all day and most of the night, traveling though 16 locks on the Danube-Main Canal.  The Canal runs from Bamberg on the Main River (a tributary of the Rhine River) to Kelheim, just 13 miles southwest of Regensburg.  Completed in 1992, this allows river traffic to travel between the North Sea and the Black Sea, 2200 miles of waterway that runs through 15 countries.

 

Glassblower

Glassblower

Glassblower

Christmas Market

Christmas Market

Christmas Market

Statue of Don Juan

Imperial Hall with Balcony

Measuring Device on Rathaus

Rathaus

Gold Tower

St. Peter's Cathedral

David and Goliath Mural

Pylon with Dent or Kink at its Point

Stone Bridge

Porta Praetoria

 

Bill's Ugly Sweater

Danube River Christmas Market Cruise - 15 December Nuremberg The End of our Cruise

 

14 December 2022                 Nuremberg                The End of the Cruise

We arrived in Nuremberg very early in the morning.  The weather was damp and cold with a hint of snow in the air.  This marks the end of our river cruise, but we will be spending 2 extra days here.

Nuremberg is the quintessential picture of a quaint German town with its narrow cobblestone streets, half-timbered houses, an almost intact medieval wall, beautiful squares with churches and their towering Gothic spires standing guard like angels, and a castle perched on top of a sandstone hill.  And to add to its beauty, the Pegnitz River runs through the center of the old town.  With all its picturesque sites, it is a photographer’s dream.  And to top it all off, Nuremberg is world-famous for its Christmas Market, which many call the best Christmas Market in Germany, if not the world.  It is also a culinary delight for those who love gingerbread, sausages, and beer, with some Glühwein thrown in for good measure.  And those are the reasons we are here. 

Nuremberg’s official history began in 1050 AD, but the castle around which the settlement grew, was built about 10 years earlier by the German King and Duke of Bavaria, Henry III.  As the settlement grew into a city, it gained its first charter in 1219 and soon became a free imperial city.  A free imperial city was a term used by the Holy Roman Empire to denote a self-ruling city that had a certain amount of autonomy and was represented in the Imperial Diet (a deliberative body, but not a legislative body, whose members saw it as a central forum where it was more important to negotiate than to dictate).  Nuremberg became an important trade center and by the late middle ages was considered the "most distinguished, best located city of the realm."  In 1356 Emperor Charles IV named Nuremberg as the city were every elected ruler had to hold his first Imperial Diet, thus elevating Nuremberg as one of the centers of the Holy Roman Empire.

Nuremberg continued to flourish until the early years of the 19^th century when it lost its status as a free imperial city and became part of the Kingdom of Bavaria.  By then the trade routes that had been so lucrative in the Middle Ages had shifted from land to sea and the Thirty Years’ War had devastated the area.  It wasn’t until the beginning of the industrial age and the development of the first German railway (1835) that linked Nuremberg with Furth that the city began to recover and grow as an industrial center.

But this new-found recovery eventually came with a cost.  Because of the railway system that Nuremberg established and the fact that Nuremberg was regarded as “the most German of German cities,” Adolph Hitler chose the city to be the center for his propaganda campaign.  Beginning in 1923 to 1938 Nuremberg was host to the annual rally of the Nazi Party.  These rallies, with hundreds of thousand attendees, were held in the large outdoor Zeppelin Field on the outskirts of Nuremberg.  Hitler also started, but never completed, construction of huge Nazi Congress Hall modeled after the Roman Colosseum.  On 15 September 1935, during the annual Rally of the Nazi Party, two antisemitic and racist laws were enacted.  The first, Law for the Protection of German Blood and German Honor, forbade marriages between Germans and Jews and also forbade German females under the age of 45 from working in Jewish households.  The second law, the Reich Citizenship Law, stated that only those of German blood or related blood could become Reich citizens.

When WWII broke out, Nuremberg was a favorite bombing target for the Allied forces.  The most devastating damage occurred on 2 January 1945 when 521 British bombers dropped 6,000 bombs and 1,000,000 incendiary devices.  Over 1800 residents of Nuremberg were killed and 100,000 lost their homes.  The Old Town was almost destroyed, leading Nuremberg to be one of the most heavily damaged cities in Germany.

On 16 April 1945, the US 7^th Army began a five-day Battle of Nuremberg against Nazi Germany.  After four days of fierce urban fighting, the United States captured the city, dealing the Nazis the huge loss of the city that was the center of the Nazi regime.  What had not been damaged during the bombing was destroyed during this battle.  However, like most of the other German cities destroyed during the war, Nuremberg rose like the Phoenix and rebuilt its city as it had been.

It was only fitting that, after the war, Nuremberg was the site that marked the symbolic demise of the Nazi Party.  From 1945 – 1946, a series of military tribunals (known as the Nuremberg Trials) were held by the Allied forces of WWII to prosecute prominent members of the Third Reich.  The first trial, held between November 20, 1945 and 1 October 1946, was the Trial of the Major War Criminals which tried 22 of the most prominent and important captured leaders of Nazi Germany.  This trial resulted in the conviction and execution of 22 Nazis, the imprisonment of 7 more, and the acquittal of three.  In all 12 trials were held in courtroom 600 of the Palace of Justice.  The Palace of Justice was selected as the site of the trials as it was large enough and had not been damaged during the war.

Today Nuremberg has returned to its pre-war splendor.  After the war there were proposals to build an entirely new city, but these were rejected in favor of rebuilding as it had been.  Using pre-war pictures and maps and what rubble could be salvaged, the town patched together monuments, Gothic churches, and the medieval half-timbered homes that had characterized Nuremberg.  When it was not possible to simply repair a building or a bridge, a new one was constructed using the architecture of the Middle Ages.  This rebuilding took 38 years, but finally, with the reconstruction of the half-timbered chatelain’s house in the Imperial Castle complex, Nuremberg was whole again.

As we again begin our tour of this beautiful city, here are a few interesting facts regarding Nuremberg that have nothing to do with the Nazis or the war.  During its prime as a cultural center of Europe and the cradle of German Renaissance, Nuremberg was responsible for the invention of several significant items – the clarinet, the geographic globe, and the first pocket watches  which were called the Nuremberg eggs.  Nuremberg is also known for its red beer, but I will cover that in a later blog when we visit the Red Beer Cellars.  One thing our trip leader strongly impressed upon us was not to call the citizens of Nuremberg “Bavarians.”  Although they belong to Bavaria (not by choice if you ask most citizens), they are Franconians.  Nuremberg was once part of a region called Franconia, with its own dialects and traditions.  But during Napoleon’s rule, they were forced to become part of Bavaria, and many still wish to belong to Franconia (which is not a state of Germany, but rather a region within the state of Bavaria).

After breakfast we departed on a bus tour of several of Nuremburg’s sights.  Our first stop was to the Rally (or Zeppelin) Fields where  Hitler held his Nazi Rallies each year.  Driving to the Field we passed the partially constructed Congress Hall, but we did not stop.  At the Rally Fields we were able to walk along the road or parade ground in front of the bleachers while Stefan pointed out some of the buildings that make up the Field.  The road where we were walking in front of the Reviewing Stand is now a drag course for car racing enthusiasts.  The city has built several sports arenas in the area across the field and the field was lined with bunker-type buildings that are still there.  They were, however, not bunkers, but toilets for the thongs that gathered for these rallies.  This area has also been the site of several major concerts over the years.  Although the city has tried to repurpose some of this area, it still remains as it was during Hitler’s regime, but it is also in need of some major repairs.

From the rally grounds the bus took us to Hauptmarkt, the site of Nuremberg’s fabulous Christmas Market.  The first thing we saw (outside of all the booths) was the Schoner Brunnen or “beautiful fountain.”  Originally built in the 14th century, what you see today is a 100-year-old copy.  In the center of its octagonal pool is an intricately carved spire.  Both the pool and the spire are decorated with 40 colorful figures from the Bible, philosophy, the arts, and politics.  It is said that you will have good luck and your wish will come true if you spin the ring located on the wrought-iron gate three times.  The ring has a fascinating story behind it.  The master who built the fountain had an apprentice and a beautiful daughter.  They fell in love, but the master would not let his daughter marry the apprentice as he was not good enough.  When the master took his daughter on a trip, the apprentice made a brass ring and inserted it seamlessly into the railing of the fountain.  He then left Nuremberg sad and lonely and never to return.  When the master saw the ring he was so impressed that he changed his mind about the marriage.  Unfortunately, there is no happy ending – there was no way of determining where the apprentice had gone, so the daughter was left sad and crying.  However, I did turn the ring three times, so maybe I will return to Nuremberg (just like throwing a coin into the Trevi Fountain to return to Rome). 

Stefan then took us to the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) that dominates the Hauptmarkt square.  Built between 1352-1362, the Gothic Frauenkirche sits on the site of a Jewish synagogue that was destroyed during the 1349 pogrom that followed an outbreak of Black Death.  The outside façade of the church includes gothic sculptures, intricate brickwork, and a symmetrical design that tapers upwards to a central tower.

It was built at the request of Charles IV, the Holy Roman Emperor at that time who wanted to use the church for imperial ceremonies which explains the porch with a balcony.  One of the first such celebrations was the baptism of Charles’ son Wenceslas in 1361.  In addition to its many sculptures and Middle Age works of art, including the 15th century Tucher Altar, it contains the coats of arms of the Holy Roman Empire, the seven Electors, the town of Nuremberg, and the city of Rome where the Holy Roman Emperors were crowned.

Stefan then explained  its most notable feature – the Mannleinlaufen, a mechanical clock that sits above the main arched entrance to the church and shows the Holy Roman Emperor seated below the clock with the prince-electors surrounding him.  The clock commemorates the Golden Bull of 1356* and was installed sometime between 1506 and 1509.  At noon, the clock is activated, and you can watch an animated procession of the seven Prince Electors paying their respect to the Emperor Charles IV.  While we did not see this procession today, we did watch the next day during our own tour of Nuremberg.

*The Golden Bull of 1356 was a decree issued by Emperor Charles IV, as the head of the of the Imperial Diet of Nuremberg, that fixed for a period of more than 400 years, important aspects of the constitutional structure of the Holy Roman Empire, including the manner in which Holy Roman Emperors were elected.  Its intention was to eliminate papal interference in the political affairs of Germany and to recognize the importance of the princes, especially the electors, of the empire.

Stefan told us the bus would be returning in about 1 ½ hours to take those who wanted to go back to the ship, or we could stay in Nuremberg and take one of the several shuttle buses that would run between the ship and the market in the afternoon.  For those going back to the ship, there was another tour to the Palace of Justice, where the Nuremberg trials were held, for those that were interested.  We elected to go back to the ship and then take the afternoon tour.

But for now I was on a mission.  I wanted to find the booth that was selling Zwetschgenmannle, which are little prune boys, items that are unique to the Nuremberg Market.  These are 6” figures made of dried figs, prunes, raisins and nuts that are one of the most popular German traditional handicrafts and are considered a symbol of good luck.  Although they were originally only prune boys when they were first made in 1790, they were eventually joined by prune girls and now there is a whole community of prune people.  Their bodies are made of figs, with prunes for their arms and legs.  Their hands are raisins, and you sometimes find peanuts (in their shell) for feet.  Their heads are painted walnuts.  They are then dressed in scraps of fabric in many different ways to reflect their individuality, such as grandmothers with their knitting, guitar players, chimney sweeps, and  priests.  Mission complete – I found the booth!  Now for a mug of Glühwein and my trip to the Christmas Market will be complete.Snow finally began to fall as we were walking through the Market.  By the time the bus came to pick us up, we were cold and wet from the snow, but it gave the whole area a wonderful Christmas atmosphere and I am so glad we got to see it in the snow, with the huge white fluffy flakes.  Once back on the warm bus, we returned to the ship for lunch and to get ready for our tour of the Palace of Justice.

The Palace of Justice was built between 1909 to 1916 and today houses the appellate and regional courts as well as the public prosecutor’s office.  After WWII, it became the site of the Nuremberg Trials, a series of military tribunals by the Allied forces of WWII to prosecute prominent members of the Third Reich. 

When we were first in Nuremberg in 2008, there was not much to see expect the outside window of Courtroom 600.  It was still an active courtroom and visitors were not allowed.  Today it is part of the museum that was built in the Palace of Justice.  On our visit, we were given audio phones that would explain the displays that are located on the third floor of the museum.  We only had an hour to visit the 3^rd floor, so it was not possible to spend a lot of time on each display.  Basically you had to pick and choose which ones interested you the most.  It was very well done (other then it was all in German), but it gave you a very good overview of the rise of Nazism, Hitler’s regime, and the war crime trials of the 22 Nazi leaders that were indicted.  After the hour, we were all taken down to the actual courtroom where the trials were held.  There they had a remarkable 15-minute presentation detailing the layout of the courtroom, where the defendants sat, and how the trial was conducted.  It used the latest video technology and was quite an impressive production.

After our tour we returned to the ship for a debarkation briefing and to announce the winner of the gingerbread contest that had been ongoing the entire cruise.  There were four groups on our tour – red, blue, yellow, and green.  Bill and I were in the red group.  They had setup a room on the ship that had 4 plain gingerbread houses, items to be used as decorations, and each day the chef would provide fresh icing.  Whoever wanted to participate was welcomed.  Although Bill and I did not participate, we had some very creative members of the red group.  Below is our gingerbread house which won first place!

We then all went into the dining room for a fabulous farewell dinner to include a procession of all the people who brought us such wonderful food all trip – the chefs and waiters and all the staff that supported them.  The meal ended with a flaming baked Alaska dessert.  It was then time to say goodbye to our travel companions and return to our room to finish packing.  We had to be out of our rooms by 8 AM tomorrow morning.  In spite of the cold and damp weather we had, it was a fabulous cruise – one that we really enjoyed.  As proof, we returned with 14 mugs that once held glühwein and a carry-on bag of chocolate goodies that they kept putting in our cabins!   We had already finished off the bottle of champagne that was gift for being a frequent traveler with OAT/GCT.  But for us the trip is not yet over.  We have several more days in Nuremberg and Munich before flying home.

Bunkers that are Really Toilets

Bleachers and Grandstand

How Rally Fields Looked During Hitler's Regime

 Congress Hall (Colosseum)

Schoner Brunnen Fountain

Ring on the Fountain (Center of Picture)

Prune People

Frauenkirche

Christmas Market

Church in the Snow

Palace of Justice

Courtroom 600

Our Winning Gingerbread House

Our Winning Gingerbread House

Danube River Christmas Market Cruise - 7 December Linz

 

7 December                Linz

Linz, the third largest city in Austria and one of the largest ports on the Danube, is located in the northern part of the country just 19 miles from the Czech border.  Today Linz is a vibrant and innovated city with a beautifully quaint Old Town.  It is also one of Austria’s cultural centers. The Danube River flows through the city itself. 

During the first century AD, the city that is now known as Linz was developed by the Romans who built fortifications around an earlier settlement and named it Lentia.  It eventually became a local government city of the Holy Roman Empire and an important trading center.  In the later part of the 1400s, it was briefly the most important city in the Hapsburg Empire when Emperor Friedrich III took residence there in the last years of his life.  When the Emperor died in 1493, that status was given to both Vienna and Prague.

Several important people at one time or another called Linz home.  The astronomer and mathematician Johannes Kepler was living in Linz when he discovered his third law of planetary motion (distance-cubed-over-time-squared).  Linz’s university was named for him.  And during the period 1855-1868, Anton Bruckner, worked as a composer and organist in the Old Cathedral.  But perhaps the most infamous former citizen was Adolf Hitler who spent part of his youth (1898-1907) in Linz before moving on to Vienna.  He considered Linz to be his hometown.  Hitler had grandiose plans to build a massive new Fuhrermuseum to showcase his collection of looted art and, because he hated Vienna, he wanted Linz to become the main cultural center of his Third Reich.  Also spending part of his youth in Linz was Hitler’s notorious henchman Adolf Eichmann.

Following WWII, Linz also became a divided city, with the Soviets occupying the city north of the Danube and the other three Allied countries (US, France, and Great Britain) the city to the south.  Finally, on 15 May 1955, the Austrian Independence Treaty was signed by the four occupying nations and Austria was once again a free republic.

Today was a free day for us as many of our fellow travelers chose to take the optional tour to Salzburg, most noted for the role it played in The Sound of Music. However, as it was a 1 ½ hour bus ride from Linz, there would not have been enough time to really see and enjoy Salzburg.  So we opted to enjoy our day in Linz.  Our Program Directors had arranged for a private guide to take those who were interested on a tour of the old city.  It was a very interesting walk. 

Our first stop was to Hauptplatz, the original Market Square and the center of the Old Town.  It is one of the largest squares in Central Europe and is surrounded by beautiful baroque buildings, including the Rathaus or Town Hall.  In the center of the square is the Dreifaltgkeitssaule or Trinity Column.  It was constructed in the 18^th century as a “thank you” to God for saving the city from the Turkish Wars of 1683, the 1704 War of the Spanish Succession, the 1712 fire, and the 1713 plague.  The baroque Column stands 66 feet tall and was sculpted from white marble.  On three sides of the base are panels containing the coats of arms that symbolize the earthly trinity of Emperor, City and estates.  On the Pedestal are three plague saints (Sabastian, Karl Borromeo, and Florian) with Saint Maria Immaculata standing on a crescent moon surrounded by playful cherubs.  The top of the column is crowned with the biblical Holy Trinity – the Father, Son and Holy Ghost – cover with gold-plated copper.  It was in this square that the main Christmas Market was located.

We then walked along the narrow streets lined with beautiful baroque buildings until we came to the Linz Parliament.   This is the one exception to the baroque buildings – it was built in the Renaissance style between 1568 and 1658.  Formally the Monastery of the Friars Minor, when the monastery was abolished in 1785, it was taken over by the government and today is the seat of the provincial government of Upper Austria.  It was also once a college where Kepler taught.  Inside the courtyard was another small Christmas market with a beautiful wood carved nativity scene.

Our last stop on the walking tour was the New Cathedral ( or Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception).  Built between 1862 and 1924 in the Neo-Gothic style, it is constructed of yellow sandstone.  Larger than St. Stevens Cathedral in Vienna, it has a 433-foot-high tower, and inside three aisles and a walkway that is surrounded by a ring of chapels.  The stained-glass windows are stunning.  In addition to their beauty, they serve to commemorate important figures and the history of Linz.  During WWII some of the windows were damaged, but rather than restore them to their original state, they were replaced with windows displaying modern art. 

After the tour ended, we walked through the main Christmas market and enjoyed a mug of hot glühwein before returning to the ship for lunch,  After lunch we returned to Linz to try and find St. Martin’s Church, the oldest church in not only Linz by in Austria.  We first followed the route on the map that showed a stairway that led up to the Linz Castle, but those steps were closed.  So, we returned to the center of town and proceeded to walk up several rather steep streets leading up to the Castle.  Although a fortress was first mentioned in 799, the Linz Castle was completely rebuilt by Emperor Friedrich III in 1477.  As it did then, the castle stands guard over the Danube River.  Today the castle is a museum featuring art and historical collections and artifacts from the prehistoric, Roman, and medieval periods.  Except for the museum there really is not much to see in the Castle except for its walls. 

 With the help of a young boy walking through the Castle, we finally found St. Martin’s Church. It is located on the other side of the Castle.  When we finally got to the church it was closed, but there was a small window in the door from which we could see the inside of the church.  Coming back through the Castle, we had some beautiful views of the town of Linz.

It was then time to return to our ship to enjoy a nice glass of wine while we rested our weary legs.  It seems the older we get, the steeper and harder to climb the streets become.

Hauptplatz

Balcony Where Hitler Made His Proclamation

Trinity Column

House Where Kepler Lived

Rathaus

Wooden Ride Near a Christmas Market

Road Leading to Linz Parliament

Wooden Carved Nativity Scene

New Cathedral

New Cathedral

Altar in Cathedral

Modern Stained Glass Window

Modern Stained Glass Window

St. Martin's Church

Inside of St. Martin's Church

Castle Walls

View of Linz from Castle

Danube River Christmas Market Cruise - 11 December Passau

 

11 December              Passau

Passau, just across the Austrian border in Germany, is located at the confluence of the Inn, Ilz, and Danube Rivers, where it got its nickname Dreiflussestadt (City on Three Rivers).  The smallest of these rivers, the Ilz, which is not much more than a small mountain stream and is black in color, flows into the Danube from the left (looking downstream toward Vienna).  Just a little below the Ilz, the Inn, originating in the Alps by Salzburg, flows into the Danube on the right and is green in color.   Surprisingly, while the Danube River is the second longest European River (after the Volga), it is not the largest of the three rivers in Passau – the Inn River has more water flow than the Danube (in fact the more powerful stream of Inn River’s green water pushes aside the blue water of the Danube).  Once these three rivers are combined, they are called the Danube as it is the longest of the three.

The first mention of Passau was as a Celtic settlement called Bojodurum, that later became the site of a Roman camp (Camp Batava), and finally became an Episcopal see (the area of a bishop's ecclesiastical jurisdiction) in 739 AD.   The city was further developed by the bishop of Passau, who made Passau the royal residence and capital of the largest Danube diocese.  Finally. in 1217, the bishops became princes of the Holy Roman Empire and ruled Passau until 1803.  The city was heavily damaged by fires in 1662 and 1608, and the rebuilding gave the town its Baroque character you see today.  Its location at the junction of three rivers made Passau an important medieval trade and shipping center.  Salt, via the Inn River, was one of its most important commodities.

It was a beautiful morning as we sailed into Passau.  The sun was out, the sky was blue, and you could see where they had recently had a little snowfall.  After breakfast, we departed on a walking tour of this beautiful city with our guide Stefan.  Just on the other side of the Danube from where our ship was docked is the is the Veste Oberhaus Fortress (Upper Fortress), built by the Bishops of Passau, who were independent of the Roman emperor, and as such had amassed a great deal of wealth and power.  The date that you see in the picture of the Fortress was the date it was constructed – 1499.  While the second number is not a character used in our numeric system, it is a “4” as that is how they wrote it back then – it is half of an eight. 

From  the dock we walked toward the Old Town of Passau.  Our first stop was to the Rathaus (Old Town Hall) dating back to 1298.  The paintings on the front side of the building are of Emperor Ludwig the Bavarian and four Flag bearers of Kursachsen, Kurtrier, Kurkoln, and the Duchy of Bavaria (four of the highest-ranking electors or princes of the Holy Roman Empire).  The Town Hall tower stands 124 feet high and was added to the building in the late 1800s.  Along the front side of the tower is a chart showing water levels of the flooding that has occurred over the years.

Next to the Rathaus was the Executioner’s House which was built around 1200.  Today it is a jazz and cabaret stage.

From here, we walked up narrow streets to the  Bishop’s Residence, the former home of the prince bishops, which was built on a square that once contained the city’s big warehouses.  In 1662 and 1680, the town was destroyed by fires.  During the reconstruction to restore the Old Town, a new Bishop’s Residence and St. Stephen’s Cathedral were built.  There is actually an enclosed walkway between the Residence and the church for the Bishop to use.  The square is one of Europe’s most beautiful baroque squares and is lined with pastel-colored buildings.  As most people could not read, the colored buildings acted as house addresses.  In the center of the courtyard is a beautiful fountain – the Wittelsback Fountain.  There is a statue of Mary in the middle with three angels at her feet that symbolize the three rivers of Passau.  The angel with ears of wheat in her hair is the Danube, the angel with pearls is the Ilz, and the angel wearing a Tyrolean hat is the Inn.

Originally built in the Gothic style in the 17^th century, the cathedral received a make-over and is now Baroque in appearance.  Perhaps its most striking feature, aside from its organ, is its octagonal dome that sits over the intersection of the nave (where the congregation sits) and the transept (which runs perpendicular to it). 

While the Cathedral holds the title as having the largest organ in Europe, the organ is actually a system of five organs which are connected to a key desk in the western loft of the church with 75 miles of wiring.  While each organ can be played individually, when connected and played as one, they have 17,774 pipes, 4,000 settings, and 231 stops, thus becoming Europe’s largest organ.  The main organ, built in 1733 sits above the main entrance, while the other four are located in the choir area, the western gallery (2 organs), and the smallest in the nave.  The smallest organ is known as an “echo organ,” whose notes are sounded through ceiling holes known as the “Holy Ghost Opening.”

It was a Sunday morning when we were in Passau and there were services going on inside St. Stephen’s so we did not go in.  Instead, we enjoyed the Christmas market that was in front of the church.  It was not as large as others we had seen.  However, while they did not have a white wine glühwein, they did have a glühwein made with hot spiced pineapple juice that was delicious.  One of the more unique booths I saw was one where they were smoking salmon.

Cruising into Passau

Decorations in the Ship

Upper Fortress Overlooking Passau

Executioner's House

Rathaus

Flood Levels In Passau

Booth Smoking Salmon

Cathedral

Bishop's Residence

Fountain in Center of Square

Square with Bishop's Residence

Looking out at Passau

Snow in Passau