Dreiflüsseeck — Where Three Rivers Negotiate
Listen at the stop, then read the transcript and follow the sources behind the story.
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Transcript
At the Dreiflüsseeck, the Danube, Inn and Ilz meet visibly. Their different colour and sediment loads can sometimes be seen running beside one another before mixing. This is Passau’s geography made theatrical.
The confluence made the city a natural transfer point for goods and people, but it also concentrates flood risk. The Inn can carry enormous volumes of Alpine water, while the Danube brings the drainage of a vast basin from the west. Passau’s history repeatedly alternates between exploiting this network and recovering from it. The rivers are not scenery around the city. They are the reason the city is here.