Newsletter from the Welcome Centre

Dear international academics,

The best time of the year in Passau has begun again: summer. From upcoming events and research opportunities to ideas for cooling down on hot days, this newsletter brings together a few things we thought you might enjoy.

Warm regards,

Your Welcome Centre Team

P.S.: For those who are new to Passau or do not know us yet: We at the Welcome Centre are your first point of contact for all non-academic questions about life on campus and in Passau. If you need support, feel free to reach out to us. We are happy to help you and your family settle in and feel at home.

Get together at Rosmarino

Thanks to everyone who came to our last get-together at the Theatercafé! We had a great evening, lots of interesting conversations, and a really enjoyable time together.

If you could not make it last time, do not worry. We would love to meet again soon: This time, we would like to spend the evening together at Rosmarino (Gottfried-Schäffer-Straße 1). Please feel free to join and to bring your friends and family along.

To make planning easier, please send us a quick email to let us know that you are participating: researchmobility@uni-passau.de.

Date and Time: Tuesday, 23 June at 17:00

Location: Rosmarino (Gottfried-Schäffer-Straße 1)

Daytrip to Pflasterspektakel in Linz, Austria

We would like to invite you to join us on a trip which will take us to the Pflasterspektakel Linz. The international street performance festival is one of the largest and most diverse ones in Europe. For three days, artists from all over the world transform the city into a large open stage featuring music, acrobatics, theatre, comedy, and many other performances. The programme is not availble yet, but you can already check out the website.

Before joining the festival, we would like have lunch together in a restaurant in Linz. For those who want to join us from Passau, we will take the train at 11:40 from Passau Main Station (Hauptbahnhof) and travel to Linz together. The train ride takes about 1,5 hours. We kindly ask you to book your ticket in advance, for example online via the Austrian railway company ÖBB. ÖBB offers day-tickets (including all regional public transport), for example the Freizeit-Ticket OÖ for two adults and two children (under the age of 15) or the "Einfach-Raus Ticket" for two to five persons. As we are travelling to Austria, the Deutschlandticket (Germanyticket) is not valid for the trip.

The festival entrance is for free. However, as the interaction with the audience is essential to street performing and the artists receive no general salary, it is essential showing appreciation not only by applause but also by rewarding artists with a little money. Having coins with you is therefore recommended.

If you want to participate, please register for the event by sending an email to researchmobility@uni-passau.de. Please also mention if you are joining our lunch so that we can make a reservation.

Date: Friday, 24 July

Time: 11:30 on Platform 5 at Passau Main Station (Hauptbahnhof). We are taking train R50 with direction Linz, departure at 11:40. Please check the notice boards at the Main Station (Hauptbahnhof).

Photo Pflasterspektakel Linz (Copyright: Hermann Erber)

From 14 June to 13 December 2026, extensive infrastructure works will take place between Regensburg and Passau due to general refurbishment. As a result, long-distance trains will not serve Passau (as well as Plattling and Straubing) during this period. Delays and longer journey times are to be expected on routes between Munich and Nuremberg and between Munich and Vienna.

A replacement bus service will operate between Passau Hbf and Nuremberg Hbf or Regensburg Hbf.

Services to and from Austria are also affected by the disruption. The ICE route between Vienna and Nuremberg will be suspended for the entire duration of the works. Alternative connections are available, including routes via Munich.

Please find more information here.

During the semester, the Unikino at the University of Passau shows a different film every week in Lecture Hall 10 of the Audimax. The programme features a mix of classics and more recent films from a variety of genres, many of them shown in English or in their original language.

Screenings start at 20:00 and are open to all members of the University of Passau for a small fee.

You can find an overview of the programme here. The next English-language films are: Minari, Call me by your name, Pride and Prejudice.

Please find the semester programme on their website or on Instagram.

The University of Passau's Graduate Centre together with its partners launched a diverse programme for the summer semester with numerous workshops and practice-oriented topics.

Upcoming events in English language are the following:

2 July 2026, 09:00-16:00: Academic Writing and Storytelling in Science (English)
Lecturer: Theodore Best
Location: Ludwigstr. 8, Raum 206
Registration: Stud.IP 71062

7 September/ 9 September/ 16 September and 23 September 2026, each 9:00 to 12:30: Grant Proposal Writing-How to design and communicate your project convincingly (Online, English)
Lecturer: Dr. Sabine Preusse
Registration: Stud.IP 71044W
For PhD candidates and postdocs

For more information on the programme, please see the Graduate Centre's website.

Would you like to meet local residents of Passau outside the university, get to know one another, exchange ideas, and share some laughs? Then join the next International Intergenerational Café (Generationencafé).

International students and researchers at the University of Passau who are interested in meeting new people and engaging in intercultural exchange are warmly welcome. Participants will enjoy breakfast together, and everyone is invited (but not required) to bring a small specialty from their home country or region to share.

The focus is on conversation, mutual learning, and activities that help build bridges between generations.

Next Meeting: Date and Time: 14 June at 11:00

The topic for the meeting is "Teas from around the world". Everybody is invited to bring and share their country's tea culture.

Location: Haus der Generationen (Heiliggeistgasse 3)

For questions, please contact: allyoucando@uni-passau.de. You can find more information on Instagram.

On Thursday 18 June 2026, the Mittelbauvertretung and Promovierendenstammtisch invite to the term meeting from 19:00 at Ratskeller Passau! The meeting takes place on the terrace. In case of rain, there are tables reserved inside.

Do come along and bring your colleagues! Registration in advance is appreciated, for Phd students in the Stud.IP-Gruppe, for Post-Docs at jakob.baumann@uni-passau.de. You are, however, also welcome to drop in without registration at short notice.

Traditional Bridge Festival (Brückenfest)

This small festival turns the Prinzregent-Luitpold Bridge, popularly known as the "Hängebrücke" (suspension bridge) into a festival site. Guests can enjoy not only various small stages for music, but also delicious and traditional food and drinks.

Date: 12 June - 13 June 2026

Castle Festival Performances (Burgenfestspiele Veste Oberhaus)

This summer, the Lower Bavarian State Theatre (Landestheater Niederbayern) will once again present theatre, opera, and a concert at Veste Oberhaus.

Set against the spectacular historic fortress backdrop, the program includes Hamlet, the opera Turandot by Giacomo Puccini or the symphony concert Haunted House. For information on the program, tickets, prices and other details, please visit the official website of the Lower Bavarian State Theatre.

Date: 20 June - 18 July 2026

European Weeks Festival (Festspiele Europäische Wochen)

Since 1952 this festival is Europe's largest cultural festival in the border region of Eastern Bavaria, Upper Austria and Bohemia. Over several weeks, the programme includes a concerts, theatre and exhibitions. For more information, see here.

Date: 20 June - 26 July

There are numerous lakes in Passau, Bavaria and Austria, perfect to visit for a day (or more). We have selected some options for you which are either close to Passau or reachable via public transport.

Near Passau

Our first category involves the closest options.

Ilzstau-Hals: You can easily reach Halser Stausee with bus 4. It takes around 15 minutes from ZOB to arrive at the bus stop Hals. From there, it is only a 5 minute walk to the lawn and swimming area. Swimming is not officially allowed here, but locals do swim here at their own risk. There is also a food and beverage stand and restrooms.

Ilzstausee-Oberilzmühle: This one is bigger but farther away than the Halser Stausee. You can take bus 5 from ZOB to arrive at the bus stop Jägerreuth. From there, it is a 25 minute walk to Oberilzmühle.

Badeplatz Schifferer See: The small lake in Neuhaus am Inn can be reached by bike, mostly along the Inn cycle trail, which is very nice too (the Austrian side is a bit more gentle than the German side - in total it makes a nice round trip). From Passau it will take you about an hour. Or take a 30 minute bus ride on the 6106 bus to reach the Kriegerdenkmal, Neuhaus a. Inn bus stop. From there, it's a 25 minute walk to reach the lake's designated swimming area.

Bonus: If you don’t like to swim in lakes, the Passauer Erlebnisbad (Peb) is a great choice for you! There are many inside and outside swimming pools and slides as well as a kids’ pool.

Around Munich

Munich is surrounded by numerous beautiful lakes, including smaller ones within the city itself. However, we recommend three lakes that are easily accessible by an one hour train ride from Munich Main station: Ammersee (station Herrsching), Tegernsee (station Gmund or Tegernsee) and Starnberger See (station Starnberg or Possenhofen). You will find swimming options within 10 min walks from the mentioned stations. Using a Deutschlandticket or Bayernticket can significantly reduce costs. For train connections and timetables, visit https://www.bahn.de/.

In Austria

Given our proximity to the Austrian border, it only makes sense to check out the lakes in Austria. With its beautiful landscape, Austria also has some of the most beautiful lakes, and there are also affordable train tickets. For timetables and train options, visit https://fahrplan.oebb.at/.

There are two excellent lake options within a 2-3 hour train ride: Attersee and Traunsee.

To reach Attersee, take the train to Attersee Bahnhof. From there, you can walk to Erlebnisbad Attersee am Attersee and Freibadeplatz Sprinzensteinpark - both are reached within a 3 minutes walk. There are also other swimming areas within a short walk from the station, such as Badewiese Attersee (10 minutes) and Öffentlicher Badeplatz (10 minutes). Another possibility to reach Attersee via train is to go to Kammer-Schörfling Bahnhof.

To reach Traunsee, take the train to Traunkirchen Bahnhof. From there, you can walk to two swimming areas: Öffentlicher Badeplatz Bräuwiese (13 minutes) and Öffentlicher Badeplatz Imwinkl (15 minutes). Alternatively, take the train to Traunkirchen Ort station for Badeinsel mit Seebadbecken, just a 7 minute walk from the station.

On 11 July, the historic railway Ilztalbahn will revive the popular connection from Passau to Český Krumlov (in Czech republic).

The journey begins at Passau Central Station with the early-morning Ilztalbahn train. In Waldkirchen, a charter bus will be waiting to take you to the border at Haidmühle. After a short walk across the border to the station at Nové Údolí, you can transfer to a Czech train that will comfortably bring you to Český Krumlov. The route along the rivers Ilz and Vltava (Moldau) is a unique travel experience.

In Český Krumlov, you will have four hours to explore the town. From the railway station, it is about a 20-minute walk to the heart of the historic old town. The charming medieval center lies within a bend of the Vltava River and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992.

At 17:00, you will board the train back from Český Krumlov. After transfers in Nové Údolí and Waldkirchen, you will reconnect with the Ilztalbahn and arrive back at Passau Central Station shortly before 21:00.

A member of the Ilztalbahn Support Association will accompany the group throughout the entire outward and return journey and will also lead a guided walk through Český Krumlov.

If you are interested, please book your ticket here.

More information on the trip can be found on the Ilztalbahn's webpage.

V.i.S.d.P.: Universität Passau, Innstraße 41, 94032 Passau
Welcome Centre, Tel.:0851/509 -1169
Contact for any queries: researchmobility@uni-passau.de