Neue Residenz — The Prince-Bishops Move Downhill
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Transcript
The Neue Residenz was built in the eighteenth century as a more comfortable urban residence for Passau’s prince-bishops. Its location near the cathedral reflects a shift from defensive hilltop rule toward ceremonial city government.
This was still political architecture. Rooms, staircases and squares organised access to the ruler and projected the stability of an ecclesiastical state. The bishop was not merely a spiritual figure; he governed territory, collected revenue and participated in imperial politics. Passau’s old town can therefore be read as a small capital, not simply a pretty provincial city.