Innsteg

Innsteg is an iron pedestrian bridge in Passau, connecting the old town with the Innstadt across the Inn. From its narrow middle, you can look upstream towards the university campus and green riverbanks. Downstream, the old town unfolds with St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Veste Oberhaus, St. Michael’s Jesuit Church, and St. Nikola.

A citizens’ association proposed the crossing in 1908, after ferries and the Marienbrücke served pedestrians moving between both banks. Paul Egger helped advance the project. Construction began with private financing and a toll system, then opened in 1916 after wartime shortages delayed the work. Crossings originally cost five pfennigs, giving locals the nickname Fünferlsteg. A two-storey toll house with a hipped roof still stands at the northern end.

The bridge was destroyed in 1945 and reopened after reconstruction in 1947, with two workers losing their lives during the rebuilding. Passau took ownership in 1977, ending the toll and making every crossing free. Both the iron span and toll house stand as protected monuments. Steps beside the river lead down to the water, while the bridge itself offers a memorable view of Passau’s riverside landscape.