Glasmuseum Passau

Huge, extensive, eclectic, stimulating, colorful, historical! Thousands of pieces of all sizes, shapes, functions and colors: glasses, mugs, decanters, lamps, vases, pots, beakers, bottles, chalices; the list goes on. Many pieces feature beautiful artwork. Lots of descriptive labels, many in English, with extensive descriptions of the manufacture, purpose and in some cases the historical significance and use of the piece(s), for example by royalty or important person or event. The museum is laid out as a seemingly unending Byzantine series of rooms spanning 6 floors in the old historic hotel; the rooms, passageways and stairs were intriguing in themselves and added significantly to the experience. I spent 2 hours and just "scratched the surface", so to speak. One could go back again and again and see new things each time. [Interesting historical note: the museum was opened by Apollo 11 astronaut and first man on the moon Neil Armstrong; I wonder why, because Mr Armstrong was not keen on doing public events after his retirement from NASA. What is the connection? I hope someone from the museum will answer this question.] Thoroughly Enjoyed and Highly Recommend!

Did not know what to expect. The scale of the pieces was overwhelming we all felt it was more a collection then a museum as we did not feel like we learned anything. Some of the displays had glass making tools which was interesting. Most of the descriptions were in German a few also in English. I would have loved to have a site plan to help navigate the interconnecting rooms. For the price I expected more.

Incredibly interesting and beautiful collection of glass spanning hundreds of years. And it’s a vast collection. We are not glass collectors or anything but we loved this museum. You enter the Wilder Mann Hotel and pay your entrance fee at the reception desk, and then take the lift to the top floor to start and work your way down several floors. The spaces themselves are beautiful and historic, and the glass is all grouped / displayed nicely. We just wandered through ourselves but it would have been amazing to have a guided tour.

What a pleasant surprise! The amount of beautiful glass work was incredible. Many rooms and floors of magnificent glass design.

Good Food at a lovely place and the staff very friendly I was there twice in three days -> says enough Next time in Stuttgart i'll come again.

This has to be one of the most fantastic collections of fine glass in the world. There are 10s of thousands of pieces arranged over 6 floors, ranging from painted and cut glass to more modern designs. It's mostly organized by glass house, with great representation for Bohemian, Bavarian, and Austrian glass. I didn't see any Swedish glass, for example, and Italian glass was there, but more limited. It's possible I missed a room however! The museum is a maze, and it's very easy to feel like you missed a room or an exhibit. Some cases were not lit, and while some captions were in English, most were in German, so bring your Google Translate as necessary. The museum could do with an update. Frankly, they are undercharging to get in, and the lower floors had a VERY strong mold/mildew/musty smell, to where it made my throat itchy and my eyes water. This is unsurprising, given that the building is in a flood zone and floods regularly. It would also be nice if they had some pieces from after 1950. Some of the signage had hand corrections as well. Despite the shortcomings, however, this museum is so good that if you are a fan of fine glass, it's worth a special trip to Passau, just because the collection is so enormous. Definitely a hidden gem of Passau, not to be missed!

Such a large & stunning display of glassware. So many colours & styles. It's displayed over a few levels.

We visited the Glasmuseum in Passau not knowing what to expect. But it's really an interesting stop. The museum is arranged starting with the oldest pieces on the top floor. They were decorated and functional bottles. As you move through the pieces are from succeeding periods and larger and more ornate. Room after room until you can't absorb any more.