Did you know that Grubweg is more than just a suburb of Passau? It’s a place with a history as rich and complex as the rivers that converge nearby.
Grubweg, nestled in the northeastern part of Passau, wasn’t always the bustling area it is today. For a long time, it was a quiet, unassuming piece of land. Grubweg was once part of the Hochstift Passau. After secularization in Bavaria, the land was divided between the Kurfürstentum Bayern and the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. By 1805, it all fell under the Kingdom of Bavaria.
Even now, a border stone on the Fuchsberg serves as a reminder of the old Tuscan-Bavarian border. In 1808, a tax district was established. By 1818, this became the municipality of Grubweg.
The municipality included Grubweg, Lindau, Ziegelreuth, and other villages. In 1928, the municipal area covered 916.01 hectares. Until World War II, Grubweg remained a peaceful rural community. In 1939, it had a population of just 1372.
In 1904, Grubweg gained access to the railway network. This was thanks to the construction of the local Passau-Hauzenberg/Granitbahn railway line. The Grubweg station, now known as Passau-Lindau, was built in Lindau.
Everything changed on June 1, 1943. The Waldwerke GmbH Passau opened, producing transmissions for tanks. This was driven by ZF Friedrichshafen. The factory employed 1200 people. Among them were 333 internees from the Mauthausen concentration camp. A separate subcamp was built for them.
After the war, the factory site became a refugee camp. On August 12, 1946, ZF Friedrichshafen founded ZF Passau GmbH at the Waldwerke site. This grew into the largest company in the Passau area. The number of employees increased from 150 to 3000 by 1957. Grubweg transformed from a rural community into an expanding suburban one.
The first emergency school was built in 1950. The first schoolhouse followed in 1953. In 1952, the TSV Grubweg sports club was founded. It later merged with ESV Passau in 1954 to form VfB Passau-Grubweg. Also in 1953, the first emergency church was inaugurated. In 1957, a pastoral care center was established. The agricultural vocational school and the Protestant Church of St. Johannes were built that same year.
The Catholic Church of St. Michael, a modern rotunda designed by Hans and Traudl Maurer and equipped by Leopold Hafner, was built between 1958 and 1960. In 1961, Grubweg became its own parish. A new town hall and fire station were added in 1963. The cemetery was created in 1967. The large stained glass windows of the church were added in 1970.
During and shortly after World War II, the city of Passau sought to incorporate Grubweg. However, these efforts were not considered urgent at the time. It was only during the regional reform that the plans were realized. Grubweg resisted these plans. In a referendum in August 1971, 95.5% voted against incorporation into Passau. Voter turnout was 78.5%.
On May 10, 1972, the government ordered Grubweg’s incorporation into Passau. The municipality filed a constitutional complaint. On June 6, 1972, the court ruled that the government’s order was lawful. The incorporation was finalized. On July 1, 1972, the integration became legally effective.
The DJK-TC Passau-Grubweg was founded in 1977. In 2008, a total of 8198 residences were registered in Grubweg. Of these, 7202 were primary residences and 996 were secondary residences. Today, Grubweg stands as a testament to transformation. It evolved from a quiet rural area to a vibrant part of Passau.
And as we conclude our exploration of Grubweg, remember that every corner of this district has a story to tell. From its humble beginnings to its modern-day vibrancy, Grubweg embodies the spirit of Passau.