Landshut

Landshut (German: [ˈlantshuːt];[2] Bavarian: Landshuad) is a town in Bavaria in the south-east of Germany. Situated on the banks of the River Isar, Landshut is the capital of Lower Bavaria, one of the seven administrative regions of the Free State of Bavaria. It is also the seat of the surrounding district, and has a population of more than 70,000. Landshut is the largest city in Lower Bavaria, followed by Passau and Straubing, and Eastern Bavaria's second biggest city.

This article is about the city in Bavaria. For other uses, see Landshut (disambiguation).
For the city known in German as "Landeshut", see Kamienna Góra.

Landshut
Town centre with St. Martin's Church
Coat of arms
Location of Landshut
Landshut
Landshut
Coordinates: 48°32′23″N 12°09′03″E
CountryGermany
StateBavaria
Admin. regionLower Bavaria
DistrictUrban district
Founded1204
Government
 • MayorAlexander Putz (FDP)
Area
 • Total65.7 km2 (25.4 sq mi)
Elevation
445 m (1,460 ft)
Population
 (2018-12-31)[1]
 • Total72,404
 • Density1,100/km2 (2,900/sq mi)
Time zoneCET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes
84001-84036
Dialling codes0871
Vehicle registrationLA
Websitewww.landshut.de

Owing to its characteristic coat of arms, the town is also often called "City of the three Helmets" (German: Dreihelmenstadt). Furthermore, the town is popularly known for the Landshuter Hochzeit (Landshut Wedding), a full-tilt medieval festival.

Due to its proximity and easy access to Munich and the Franz Josef Strauss International Airport, Landshut became a powerful and future-oriented investment area. The town is one of the richest industrialized towns in Bavaria and has East Bavaria's lowest unemployment rate.

Geography

Settings

Landshut lies in the centre of Lower Bavaria, and is part of the Alpine foothills. The River Isar runs through the city centre. Landshut is about 72 kilometres (45 mi) northeast of Munich.

History

The city of Landshut and Trausnitz castle were founded in 1204 by Duke Louis I. Landshut was already a Wittelsbach residence by 1231, and in 1255, when the duchy of Bavaria was split in two, Landshut also became the capital of Lower Bavaria. Duke Henry XVI was the first of the three famous rich dukes who ruled Bayern-Landshut in the 15th century. The wedding of Duke George with the Polish Princess Royal Jadwiga Jagiellon in 1475 was celebrated in Landshut with one of the most splendid festivals of the Middle Ages (called "Landshuter Hochzeit"). After his death and the Landshut War of Succession, Bavaria-Landshut was reunited with Bavaria-Munich.

Louis X, Duke of Bavaria built the Landshut Residence 1537–1543 after his visit to Italy. Louis built the first Renaissance palace constructed north of the Alps after the Palazzo Te in Mantua. William V, Duke of Bavaria ordered to upgrade Trausnitz Castle from a gothic fortification into a renaissance complex when he lived in Landshut as crown prince for ten years until 1579. Afterwards Landshut lost most of its importance until the University of Ingolstadt was moved to Landshut in 1800. But already in 1826 the university was transferred to Munich.

In 1634, during the Thirty Years' War, the city was taken and plundered by Swedish forces under the command of Bernard of Saxe-Weimar.[3]

Napoleon fought and won the Battle of Landshut in 1809 against an Austrian army as part of the War of the Fifth Coalition.

During World War II, a subcamp of Dachau concentration camp was located in the city to provide slave labour for local industry.

The U.S. Army maintained facilities in Landshut, including Pinder Kaserne and a dependent housing area, until 1968.

Since the opening of Munich Airport close to Landshut in 1992, the town has become an attractive business location.

A panoramic view of Landshut
Largest groups of foreign residents
NationalityPopulation (2013)
 Turkey1,275
 Romania911
 Poland730
 Greece532
 Croatia407
 Austria345

Main sights and culture
Coat of arms, depicted in 1605

The town is of national importance because of its predominantly Gothic architecture within the historic town centre, especially Trausnitz Castle and the Church of Saint Martin featuring the world's tallest brick tower. Among other Gothic architecture are the churches of St. Jodok and Holy Spirit, but also the Town Hall and the Ländtor, the only still existing gate of the medieval fortification.

Landshut is also known for a festival celebrated every four years called the Landshuter Hochzeit, commemorating the 1475 marriage of George of Bavaria and Jadwiga Jagiellon.

The renaissance era produced in particular the decorated inner courtyard of the Trausnitz Castle and the ducal Landshut Residence in the inner town. Baroque churches are represented by the Jesuit church St. Ignatius, the Dominican church St. Blasius and the church of St. Joseph. Also the medieval churches of the Seligenthal convent and of the Cistercians were redesigned in baroque style. Many old middle-class houses of the past in the Old Town still represent the history of the town from the Gothic times to the Neo-Classicism.

Transportation

There are regular regional train connections to Munich, Passau, Salzburg, Rosenheim, Nuremberg and Hof.

  • The Cathedral of St. Martin with its bell tower
  • The Church of St. Jodok
  • Redemption church
  • The Landshut Wedding and the Church of the Holy Spirit
  • The Ländtor
  • The Trausnitz castle
  • Landshut City View
  • Town hall
  • Old town
  • Alstadt St, the pedestrian area

Theatres
  • Stadttheater (city theatre)
  • Kleines Theater
  • Theater Nikola

Cinemas
  • Kinoptikum – repertory cinema
  • Kinopolis Landshut – Multiplex cinema
  • Burgtheater/Kühlhauskino

Museums
  • Skulpturenmuseum im Hofberg (Sculptural Museum in Hofberg)
  • LANDSHUTmuseum in the cloister of the old Franciscan monastery[4]

Venues
  • Eisstadion am Gutenbergweg – Indoor Ice hockey arena, mainly used by the Landshut Cannibals
  • Sparkassen-Arena – Mainly used for concerts and fairs
  • Grieserwiese – Giant parking area located between Wittstraße and the bank of the river Isar used for the annual Frühjahrs- und Bartlmädult

Businesses

There are also two nuclear power plants located 14 km away from Landshut, Isar I (Inactive) and Isar II (active until 2022).

International relations
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany

Twin towns – sister cities

Landshut is twinned with:

Notable people

Before 1900
Ludwig Feuerbach
  • Ulrich Füetrer (born before 1450; died around 1493 and 1502), poet and painter
  • Ludwig Feuerbach (1804–1872), philosopher
  • Friedrich Feuerbach (1806–1880), philologian and philosopher
  • Gustav Tiedemann (1808–1849), officer
  • Carl du Prel (1839–1899), philosopher, writer and occultist
  • Karl Tanera (1849–1904), officer of the Bavarian Army and author
  • Max Slevogt (1868–1932), painter, graphician
  • Otto Kissenberth (1893–1919), fighter pilot in World War I

1901–1950
Roman Herzog, Karlspreis 2012 (Charlemagne prize)

1951–present

Honorary citizens
  • Hans Leinberger (1475/1480-after 1531), sculptor
  • Ludwig Andreas Feuerbach, (1804–1872), philosopher and anthropologist
  • Roman Herzog (born 1934), President of Germany 1994–1999
  • Josef Deimer (born 1936), Lord Mayor of Landshut 1970–2004
  • Erich Kühnhackl (born 1950), former ice hockey player

Notable inhabitants of Landshut
Gregor Strasser 1928
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See also

References
  1. "Fortschreibung des Bevölkerungsstandes". Bayerisches Landesamt für Statistik und Datenverarbeitung (in German). July 2019.
  2. "Landshut". Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House.
  3. Helfferich, Tryntje, The Thirty Years War: A Documentary History (Cambridge, 2009), pp. 274-302.
  4. "Besucherinfo - Museen der Stadt Landshut" (in German).
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