passauer glasmuseum (the glass museum)

Over 30,000 pieces are shown here, detailing the change in glassware through the ages. From really early pieces, through to Baroque, Tiffany, Lalique and Waterford.No descriptions in English though!

This is NOT a museum which fosters learning, interest and questions. It is a huge glass collection set in cabinets against walls. The entire display is actually creepy in atmosphere.Lights only go on when you enter a room and there are dozens of them. I am sorry that this was my last memory before leaving this otherwise charming city.

Our tour guide told us there were over 30,000 pieces of glass in this collection and now I can believe her. It's overwhelming. Spread over five floors and some 37 rooms, this collection contains everything a glass collector would want to see. For the average tourist, however, it's a bit much. My wife loved strolling through it, but I was anxious to depart. Considering the majority of visitors speak English, it would be nice if the museum had explanations in English as well as German. There's also no one to help you. You pay your admission fee, ride up an elevator, and then you're on your own.

Most of the pieces are cups, plates and vases. The exhibit occupies the entire building and fills up something like 37 rooms. Wish there had been a little more explanation about the significance of some of the pieces.

I agree with other reviewers as the amount of glass is totally overwhelming. You don't realise how much there is to see and so you try to run round all the other floors when your time is running out. I enjoyed it but it needs better English explanations. But go and enjoy the craftmanship of the wonderful pieces as some are truly beautiful.

My husband and I had some free time after doing other things in Passau while on a River Cruise and decided to stop in for a brief visit --we had less than two hours to spend so we zoomed through quickly and looked more closely at the pieces we liked.It was enjoyable and different...while there was lots of glass I didn't care for, there were many breathtaking pieces, especially art nouveau and art deco.You wander around on your own, and its very easy to get lost, as there are lots of rooms that twist around. Other reviewers correctly pointed out that this is little descriptions, and so we went with that expectation. My only complaint was there was no gift shop -- I would have been interested in a book or some postcards, but I did take a ton of photos!

I will echo other reviews and summarize our experience: we started enthusiastically on the top floors, trying to find the occasional description in English and appreciating, as best we could, the artistry of the makers. Then as we continued, the descriptions vanished, the glass all started to look the same, and our brains were overloaded with the sheer volume. We had no idea of whether what we were viewing was a treasure or not. On the lower floors, we were just trying to find the nearest exit. We would have better appreciated a few chosen treasures well-described in English. But then that's a spoiled American's opinion.

Nothing of interest to 90% of people, even those with an interest in glass. Yes, the individual pieces are labelled in English but any description of their relationship or other information is not. DO NOT GO.

lots of examples from different ages, many floors and rooms, took hours to see. worth looking at even if you are not into glass. not a lot of english explanations of the displays but enough to get the story.

This extensive collection is a jewel tucked into a meandering display in a five story building. Many visitors to Passau will be taking a river cruise and may not be as focused on Passau as it deserves. This glass museum is a MUST SEE if you have any interest in glass.

This museum has more glass than I could imagine existed. It is almost overwhelming. There is so much that it is necessary to concentrate on particular periods. My favorite wa the art nouveau.

if you love glass this is the place. it is amazing that that so many pieces have survived the time that the have endured. The craftmanship is unbelievable and so many different styles.

The museum is over 5 floors and you begin on the top floor.The contents are beyond imagination and are displayed in beautiful rooms. It is beyond most people's ability to absorb everything on display. Which is a real shame - as you work your way from top to bottom your ability to appreciate the beauty of the items is lessened.A must place to visit in Passau

The Glass Museum displays a staggering amount of Bohemian glassware with some attempts of structuring it. The first few floors start out nicely chronological but when reaching the 1900's (when Bohemian art glass got very popular) it goes all over the place. All mayor (and many minor) artists are there but its hard to make heads or tails from it. Also each cabinet is filled to the max. There are many beautiful and unique pieces that do not get the attention they deserve because they're lost in the noise of the other vases. Some parts of the museum (perhaps because of its labyrinthine structure) don't get visited a lot judging from the dust. That said, it still is a magnificent collection and you should go and see it especially if you're into art glass.

As part of a riverboat cruise, my wife & I visited Passau on Tuesday 5/6. We thoroughly enjoyed the town & especially the Glass Museum, which took us completely by surprise.We are minor collectors of contemporary art, including glass, so we were anxious to visit the Museum. Well, we certainly did not leave enough time! The seemingly endless number of display cases throughout a twisting, 5-story labyrinth of rooms was overwhelming & unbelievable. Glass, glass, glass in every direction.... Our eyes & minds glazed over...... We would have never thought that anyone could amass such a stunning glass collection from so many different countries & epochs - mostly utilitarian items for drinking, flower displays, jewelry, containers, etc., etc., but also glass as art objects. Well worth your time IF you like glass, especially as "functional art." :)