Landshut
Landshut
Panorama
Coordinates	48°32′23″N 12°09′3″E / 48.53972°N 12.15083°E / 48.53972; 12.15083Coordinates: 48°32′23″N 12°09′3″E / 48.53972°N 12.15083°E / 48.53972; 12.15083
Administration
Country	Germany
State	Bavaria
Admin. region	Lower Bavaria
District	Urban district
Mayor	Hans Rampf
Basic statistics
Area	65.7 km2 (25.4 sq mi)
Elevation	445 m  (1460 ft)
Population	63,258 (31 December 2010)[1]
- Density	963 /km2 (2,494 /sq mi)
Other information
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate	LA
Postal codes	84001-84036
Area code	0871
Website	www.landshut.de

Landshut (Austro-Bavarian: Landshuad) is a city in Bavaria in the south-east of Germany, belonging to both Eastern and Southern Bavaria. 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. With a population of more than 60,000, Landshut is the largest city in Lower Bavaria, followed by Passau and Straubing, as well as Eastern Bavaria's second biggest city after Regensburg.

Owing to its characteristic coat of arms, the city is also often called "Three Helmets City" (German: Dreihelmenstadt).

Due to its proximity and easy access to Munich and the Franz Josef Strauss International Airport, situated halfway between Munich and Landshut on the banks of the Isar, the city has East Bavaria's lowest unemployment rate (ca. 4.2% in October 2006), lower than the Bavarian average of ca. 5.8%.

Geography[link]

Settings[link]

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.

Climate[link]

The Cathedral of St. Martin with its bell tower

The Church of St. Jodok

The Landshut Wedding and the Church of the Holy Spirit

History[link]

The Trausnitz castle

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.

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 1965.

Since the opening of Munich airport close to Landshut in 1992 the city has become an attractive business location.

Main sights and culture[link]

The Ländtor

A view to Landshut

The city is of national importance because of its predominantly Gothic architecture within the historic city 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 city. 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 Monastery 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 city from the Gothic times to the Neo-Classicism.

Theatres[link]

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

Cinemas[link]

• Kinoptikum – Programmkino [1]
• Kinopolis Landshut – Multiplexkino [2]
• Burgtheater/Kühlhauskino

Museums[link]

• Skulpturenmuseum im Hofberg (Sculptural Museum in Hofberg)

Venues[link]

• 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[link]

• BMW
• Cine Project
• Dräxlmaier Group
• Deutsche Telekom
• ebmpapst
• Endor AG/Fanatec
• Renesas (formerly Hitachi)
• Schott Glass
• T.D.T. Transfer Data Test GmbH
• Josef Urzinger GmbH – Textile Mietdienste
• Vishay

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

Twinnings[link]

German postage stamp, 2004

• Elgin, United Kingdom, since 1956
• Compiègne, France, since 1962
• Ried im Innkreis, Austria, since 1974
• Schio, Italy, since 1981
• Sibiu, Romania, since 2002

People[link]

Famous citizens[link]

• Rudy Ratzinger, the sole musician of :wumpscut:.
• Martin Stosch – DSDS Season 4 contestant was born in Landshut.
• Joseph Zoettl, monk and creator of the Ave Maria Grotto in Cullman, Alabama

Honorary citizens[link]

• Hans Futterer
• Hans Leinberger
• Roman Herzog
• Erich Kühnhackl
• Ludwig Andreas Feuerbach
• Spitzlberger
• Hansjörg Mößmer

See also[link]

• Battle of Abensberg occurred April 20, 1809.
• Battle of Landshut occurred April 21, 1809.
• Battle of Eckmühl occurred 21 April–22 April 1809.
• Abensberg
• Eckmühl

References[link]

External links[link]

 Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Landshut". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

• http://www.landshut.de – Official website
• (German) http://www.fh-landshut.de/
• (German) kleines Theater Landshut
• (German) Theater Nikola
• (German) Stadttheater Landshut (City Theatre)
• (German) EVL bzw. Cannibals traditionsreicher Eishockey Verein
• (Russian) Landshut - video

v t e Urban and rural districts in the Free State of Bavaria in Germany Urban districts Amberg Ansbach Aschaffenburg Augsburg Bamberg Bayreuth Coburg Erlangen Fürth Hof Ingolstadt Kaufbeuren Kempten Landshut Memmingen München (Munich) Nürnberg (Nuremberg) Passau Regensburg Rosenheim Schwabach Schweinfurt Straubing Weiden Würzburg Rural districts Aichach-Friedberg Altötting Amberg-Sulzbach Ansbach Aschaffenburg Augsburg Bad Kissingen Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen Bamberg Bayreuth Berchtesgadener Land Cham Coburg Dachau Deggendorf Dillingen Dingolfing-Landau Donau-Ries Ebersberg Eichstätt Erding Erlangen-Höchstadt Forchheim Freising Freyung-Grafenau Fürstenfeldbruck Fürth Garmisch-Partenkirchen Günzburg Haßberge Hof Kelheim Kitzingen Kronach Kulmbach Landsberg Landshut Lichtenfels Lindau Main-Spessart Miesbach Miltenberg Mühldorf München (Munich) Neuburg-Schrobenhausen Neumarkt Neustadt (Aisch)-Bad Windsheim Neustadt an der Waldnaab Neu-Ulm Nürnberger Land Oberallgäu Ostallgäu Passau Pfaffenhofen Regen Regensburg Rhön-Grabfeld Rosenheim Roth Rottal-Inn Schwandorf Schweinfurt Starnberg Straubing-Bogen Tirschenreuth Traunstein Unterallgäu Weilheim-Schongau Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen Wunsiedel Würzburg