District

Three-Country Corner

In the far north-east of the Passau countryside, high up on the ridge of the Bavarian Forest, the borders of Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic meet at the Three-Country Corner. The mighty granite rocks of the Dreisessel rise strikingly here, their bizarre, stacked blocks said in legend to have once served three giants as a seat. The actual tri-border stone lies a little apart in the quiet Hochwald and marks the point where the three states converge — a rewarding hiking goal with great symbolic appeal.

From the rocky pulpits of the Dreisessel and the neighbouring Hochwald, clear days open up wide views across the endless forests of Bavaria, Bohemia and the Upper Austrian Mühlviertel. Until 1989 the heavily guarded Iron Curtain ran through here; today cross-border trails thread the once-divided landscape and reconnect the three countries into a shared natural realm.

Deep mountain mixed forests, high-lying bogs, cool, resin-scented air and a touch of boundless wilderness define the region. Geographically it does not belong to the city of Passau, but it can be reached from there in a good hour by car and ranks among the most impressive nature destinations in the north of the Passau countryside — ideal for long hikes away from the crowds.