Landshut

Coordinates: 48°32′23″N 12°09′03″E / 48.53972°N 12.15083°E / 48.53972; 12.15083
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Landshut
Town centre with St. Martin's Church
Town centre with St. Martin's Church
Flag of Landshut
Coat of arms of Landshut
Location of Landshut
Map
Urban district
Founded1204
Government
 • Lord mayor (2020–26) Alexander Putz[1] (CSU)
Area
 • Total65.7 km2 (25.4 sq mi)
Elevation
445 m (1,460 ft)
Population
 (2022-12-31)[2]
 • Total75,457
 • Density1,100/km2 (3,000/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
84001-84036
Dialling codes0871
Vehicle registrationLA
Websitewww.landshut.de

Landshut (German:

Free State of Bavaria. It is also the seat of the surrounding district and has a population of more than 75,000. Landshut is the largest city in Lower Bavaria, followed by Passau and Straubing, and Eastern Bavaria's second after Regensburg
.

Owing to its characteristic coat of arms, the town is also called "City of the three Helmets" (German: Dreihelmestadt). The town is popularly known for is picturesque gothic old town and the Landshut Wedding, a full-tilt medieval festival. The cityscape is dominated by the St. Martin's Basilica and Trausnitz Castle high above the old town.

Due to its proximity and easy access to

Franz Josef Strauss International Airport, Landshut became a powerful and future-oriented investment area and has seen a strong increase in population in the last 20 years. The town is strongly industrialized (e.g. BMW, ebm-papst, Schott electronics
), has Eastern Bavaria's lowest unemployment rate and is among the richest towns in Bavaria.

Geography

Landshut lies in the

River Isar runs through the city and splits in two in the city centre. Most of the built-up area lies on the flat terraced deposits of the river. The Isar divides the town into three areas: the northern part above the river belongs to the Isar-Danube hill country, the Mühleninsel in the city centre lies between both arms of the Isar, and the southern part below the river belongs to the Isar-Inn hill country. The southern part of the town is delimited by a chain of hills, some of which rise steeply, of which the Hofberg, where the Trausnitz Castle
is located, forms the highest point in the city area at a height of 505 meters above sea level.

Landshut is situated between Munich (70 kilometers southwest) and Regensburg (70 kilometers to the north). Other nearby towns are Straubing (75 km northeast), Deggendorf (75 km to the east), and Passau at the German-Austrian border (120 km to the east). The town's spread is limited to the north by Ergolding, to the northwest by Altdorf, and to the south by Kumhausen. The three smaller towns join Landshut to form a built-up area of around 100,000 people but are not incorporated into Landshut proper.

History

The town and

Landshut War of Succession, Bavaria-Landshut was reunited with Bavaria-Munich
.

Between 1537 and 1543, after his visit to Italy,

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. However, in 1826 the university was transferred to Munich.

During the Thirty Years' War, the city was thrice (1632, 1634 and 1648) taken and plundered by Swedish forces.[4]

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

During

slave labour
for local industry. The city was taken by US troops on April 29, 1945.

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
Nationality Population (2013)
 Turkey 1,275
 Romania 911
 Poland 730
 Greece 532
 Croatia 407
 Austria 345

Main sights and culture

Coat of arms, depicted in 1605

The town is of architectural importance because of its predominantly

Church of Saint Martin
featuring the world's tallest church 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 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 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, Prague, Regensburg, Munich Airport, Passau, Salzburg, Rosenheim, Nuremberg and Hof.

Sport

The most successful professional team in the city is ice hockey team EV Landshut, playing currently in the Second Division.

The other professional team in the city is

Landshut Devils, who are based at the Ellermühle Speedway Stadium
.

The local association football team is SpVgg Landshut with both men's and women's teams previously having reached the top state division.

Culture

Theatres

Cinemas

Museums

Venues

Businesses

There are also two nuclear power plants located 14 km away from Landshut,

Isar II
(active until 2022).

Twin towns – sister cities

Landshut is twinned with:[6]

Notable people

Ludwig Feuerbach
Roman Herzog, Karlspreis 2012 (Charlemagne prize)

Before 1920

1920–present

Honorary citizens

  • Hans Leinberger (1475/1480 – after 1531), sculptor
  • Ludwig Andreas Feuerbach
    , (1804–1872), philosopher and anthropologist
  • Roman Herzog (1934-2017), President of Germany 1994–1999
  • Josef Deimer (born 1936), Lord Mayor of Landshut 1970–2004
  • Erich Kühnhackl (born 1950), ice hockey player

Notable inhabitants

Gregor Strasser 1928

Gallery

  • The Cathedral of St. Martin with its bell tower
    The Cathedral of St. Martin with its bell tower
  • The Church of St. Jodok
    The Church of St. Jodok
  • Redemption church
    Redemption church
  • The Landshut Wedding and the Church of the Holy Spirit
    The Landshut Wedding and the Church of the Holy Spirit
  • Church of the Holy Ghost, Gothic porch
    Church of the Holy Ghost, Gothic porch
  • The Ländtor
    The Ländtor
  • The Trausnitz Castle
    The Trausnitz Castle
  • Landshut city view
    Landshut city view
  • Town hall
    Town hall
  • Old town
    Old town
  • Alstadt St, the pedestrian area
    Alstadt St, the pedestrian area

See also

References

  1. ^ Liste der Oberbürgermeister in den kreisfreien Städten, accessed 18 July 2021.
  2. ^ Genesis Online-Datenbank des Bayerischen Landesamtes für Statistik Tabelle 12411-003r Fortschreibung des Bevölkerungsstandes: Gemeinden, Stichtag (Einwohnerzahlen auf Grundlage des Zensus 2011)
  3. ^ "Landshut". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d.
  4. ^ Helfferich, Tryntje, The Thirty Years War: A Documentary History (Cambridge, 2009), pp. 274-302.
  5. ^ "Besucherinfo - Museen der Stadt Landshut" (in German).
  6. ^ "Partner- und Patenstädte". landshut.de (in German). Landshut. Retrieved 2021-02-18.

External links