View source for Landshut

{{about|the city in Bavaria|the city known in German as "Landeshut"|Kamienna Góra|the city known in German as "Landshut"|Łańcut|other uses}}
{{Expand German|topic=geo|Landshut|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox German location
|type = Town
| image_skyline            = {{Photomontage|position=center
|photo1a = Landshut 02.jpg
|photo2a = 2020 Landshut Burg Trausnitz.jpg
|photo2b = 2020 Landshut Altstadt mit Rathaus.jpg
|photo3a = Río Isar, Landshut, Alemania, 2012-05-27, DD 02.JPG
|photo3b = Muro histórico, Landshut, Alemania, 2012-05-27, DD 01.JPG
|photo4a = Iglesia de la Redención, Landshut, Alemania, 2012-05-27, DD 01.JPG
|photo4b = Altstadt 32 Landshut-2.jpg
|photo4c = Edificio en Alte Bergstraße 145, Parroquia católica San Martín, Landshut, Alemania, 2012-05-27, DD 01, Landshut, Alemania, 2012-05-27, DD 02.JPG
|size = 260
|spacing = 
|color = 
|border = 0
|foot_montage = Landshut sights with [[St. Martin's Church, Landshut|St. Martin's Church]] and [[Trausnitz Castle]]
}}
|image_flag        = Flagge Landshut.svg
|image_coa         = DEU Landshut COA.svg
|coordinates       = {{coord|48|32|23|N|12|09|03|E|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|image_plan        =
|plantext          =
|elevation         = 445
|state             = Bavaria
|region            = Lower Bavaria
|district          = urban
|area              = 65.7
|Gemeindeschlüssel = 09261000
|population=75'275|postal_code       = 84001-84036
|area_code         = 0871
|licence           = LA
|website           = [http://www.landshut.de/ www.landshut.de]
|mayor             = Alexander Putz<ref>[https://www.statistik.bayern.de/wahlen/kommunalwahlen/bgm/ Liste der Oberbürgermeister in den kreisfreien Städten], accessed 18 July 2021.</ref>
|leader_term       = 2020&ndash;26
|Bürgermeistertitel = Lord Mayor
|party             = CSU
|year              = 1204
}}
'''Landshut''' ({{IPA|de|ˈlantshuːt|lang|De-Landshut.ogg}};<ref>{{Dictionary.com|Landshut}}</ref> {{langx|bar|Landshuad}}) is a town in [[Bavaria]], [[Germany]], on the banks of the [[Isar|River Isar]]. Landshut is the capital of [[Lower Bavaria]], one of the seven [[administrative region]]s of the [[Free state (government)|Free State]] of Bavaria, and the seat of the surrounding district. With a population of more than 75,000, Landshut is the largest city in Lower Bavaria, followed by [[Passau]] and [[Straubing]].

The town, called City of the Three Helmets ({{langx|de|Dreihelmestadt}}), is known for its picturesque [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] [[old town]] and the [[Landshut Wedding]], a full-tilt medieval festival. The cityscape is dominated by the [[St. Martin's Church, Landshut|St. Martin's Basilica]] and [[Trausnitz Castle]] high above the old town.

Close to [[Munich]] and [[Franz Josef Strauss International Airport]], Landshut is industrialized ([[BMW]], [[ebm-papst]], [[Schott AG|Schott]]), has a low unemployment rate and is among the richest towns in Bavaria.

== Geography ==
Landshut lies in the [[Alpine foothills]]. 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, Lower Bavaria|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 [[Trausnitz Castle]] were founded in 1204 by [[Louis I Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria|Duke Louis I]], when a settlement developed around the castle. Landshut was 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 of Bavaria|Henry XVI]] was the first of the three 'rich dukes' who ruled [[Bayern-Landshut]] in the 15th century. The wedding of Duke [[George of Bavaria|George]] with the Polish Princess Royal [[Jadwiga Jagiellon (1457–1502)|Jadwiga Jagiellon]] in 1475 was celebrated in Landshut with one of the most splendid festivals of the Middle Ages ([[Landshut Wedding]]). After his death and the [[Landshut War of Succession]], Bavaria-Landshut was reunited with [[Bavaria-Munich]].

Between 1537 and 1543, after his visit to Italy, [[Louis X, Duke of Bavaria]] built the Landshut Residence, the first [[Renaissance]] palace constructed north of the Alps. It was modeled after [[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.<ref>Helfferich, Tryntje, The Thirty Years War: A Documentary History (Cambridge, 2009), pp. 274-302.</ref>

[[Napoleon]] fought and won the [[Battle of Landshut (1809)|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 city was taken by US troops on 29 April 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.

{{wide image|Panorama von Landshut 10410px.jpg|1024px|A panoramic view of Landshut}}

{| class="infobox" style="float:right;"
|colspan="2"|'''Largest groups of foreign residents'''
|-
|Nationality || Population (2013)
|-
|{{flag|Turkey}} || 1,275
|-
|{{flag|Romania}} || 911
|-
|{{flag|Poland}} || 730
|-
|{{flag|Greece}} || 532
|-
|{{flag|Croatia}} || 407
|-
|{{flag|Austria}} || 345
|-
|{{flag|Spain}} || 2
|-
|}

==Main sights and culture==
[[File:Siebmacher220mod.jpg|thumb|Coat of arms, depicted in 1605]]
The town is of architectural importance because of its predominantly [[Gothic architecture]] within the historic town centre, especially ''[[Trausnitz Castle]]'' and the ''[[St. Martin, Landshut|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, Duke of Bavaria|George of Bavaria]] and [[Hedwig Jagiellon, Duchess of Bavaria|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, Bavaria|Hof]].

==Sport==
The most successful professional team in the city is [[ice hockey]] team [[EV Landshut]], playing currently in the [[DEL2|Second Division]].

The other professional team in the city is [[motorcycle speedway]] team [[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 association football|women's]] teams previously having reached the [[Bayernliga|top state division]].

==Culture==
===Theatres===
* Stadttheater (city theatre)
* ''Kleines Theater''
* [[Theater Nikola]]

===Cinemas===
* [[Kinoptikum]] – [[repertory cinema]] [http://www.kinoptikum.de]
* [[Kinopolis Landshut]] – [[Multiplex cinema]] [http://www.kinopolis.de]
* Burgtheater/Kühlhauskino

===Museums===
* Skulpturenmuseum im Hofberg (Sculptural Museum in Hofberg)
* LANDSHUTmuseum in the cloister of the old Franciscan monastery<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://landshutmuseum.museen-landshut.de/besucherinfo/ |language=de |title = Besucherinfo - Museen der Stadt Landshut}}</ref>

===Venues===
* [[Eisstadion am Gutenbergweg]] – Indoor [[Ice hockey]] arena, mainly used by the [[EV Landshut]]
* 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==
*[[BMW]]
*[[Dräxlmaier Group]]
*[[ebmpapst]]
*[[LFoundry]], a semiconductor fab formerly owned by [[Renesas]] and before by [[Hitachi]])
*[[Schott Glass]]
*[[Vishay]]
*[[:de:Pöschl Tabak]]
There are also two nuclear power plants located 14&nbsp;km away from Landshut, [[Isar I]] (Inactive) and [[Isar II]] (active until 2022).

==Twin towns – sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany}}
Landshut is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Partner- und Patenstädte|url=http://www.landshut.de/portal/rathaus/partner-und-patenstaedte.html|website=landshut.de|publisher=Landshut|language=de|access-date=2021-02-18}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|SCO}} [[Elgin, Moray|Elgin]], Scotland, United Kingdom (1956), the [[Landshut Bridge]] in Elgin is named after Landshut
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Compiègne]], France (1962)
*{{flagicon|AUT}} [[Ried im Innkreis]], Austria (1974)
*{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Schio]], Italy (1981)
*{{flagicon|ROU}} [[Sibiu]], Romania (2002)

==Notable people==
[[File:Feuerbach Ludwig.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|Ludwig Feuerbach]]
[[File:Roman Herzog, Karlspreisverleihung 2012.JPG|thumb|upright=0.7|Roman Herzog, Karlspreis 2012 (Charlemagne prize)]]

===Before 1920===
*[[Ulrich Füetrer]] (born before 1450; died around 1493 and 1502), poet and painter
*[[Ludwig Feuerbach]] (1804–1872), philosopher
*[[Friedrich Feuerbach]] (1806–1880), philologist 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
*[[Hermann Erhardt]] (1903–1958), actor
*[[Max Schäfer]] (1907–1990), football player and manager
*[[Marlene Neubauer-Woerner]] (1918–2010), sculptor

===1920–present===
*[[Marlene Reidel]] (1923–2014), illustrator
*[[Josef Deimer]] (born 1936), politician and Lord mayor of Landshut from 1970–2014
*[[Roman Herzog]] (1934–2017), politician (CDU), President of Germany from 1994 to 1999, then Honorary Citizen as well
*[[Klaus Auhuber]] (born 1951), ice hockey player
*[[Gerhard Tausche]] (born 1958), archivist and author
*[[Gerd Truntschka]] (born 1958), ice hockey player
*[[Martin Bayerstorfer]] (born 1966), politician 
*[[Alex Holzwarth]] (born 1968), drummer
*[[Wolfgang Stark]] (born 1969), football referee
*[[Markus Brunnermeier]] (born 1969), financial economist
*[[Annette Dytrt]] (born 1983), figure skater

===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===
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 119-1721, Gregor Strasser.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|Gregor Strasser 1928]]
*[[Louis I, Duke of Bavaria]] (1173–1231), Duke of Bavaria and Count Palatine of the Rhine
*[[Hans von Burghausen]] (born 1350–1360; died 1432), builder
*[[Hans Stethaimer]] (1360–1432), architect, mason and painter
*[[Hans Leinberger]] (1480–1531), sculptor of the late Gothic
*[[Götz von Berlichingen]] (1480–1562), Frankish Empire Knights
*[[Renata of Lorraine]] (1544–1602), Duchess of Bavaria
*[[Johann Graf von Aldringen]] (1588–1634), commander
*[[Franz von Paula Schrank]] (1747–1835), botanist
*[[Johann Michael Sailer]] (1751–1832), Catholic theologian and bishop of Regensburg
*[[Franz Xaver Witt]] (1834–1888), church musician, composer, reformer, founder of the German general Cecilia Association
*[[Max von Oppenheim|Max Freiherr von Oppenheim]] (1860–1946), diplomat, orientalist and archaeologist
*[[Ludwig Thoma]] (1867–1921), writer
*[[Hans Carossa]] (1878–1956), doctor, known as a poet and writer of short stories{{citation needed|date=August 2019}}
*[[Gregor Strasser]] (1892–1934), National Socialist politician{{citation needed|date=August 2019}}
*[[Heinrich Himmler]] (1900–1945), National Socialist politician, head of the [[SS]]
*[[Marlene Neubauer-Woerner]] (1918–2010), sculptor
*[[Fritz Koenig]] (1924–2017), sculptor
*[[Heinz Winbeck]] (1946–2019), composer
*[[Erich Kühnhackl]] (born 1950), ice hockey player{{citation needed|date=August 2019}}
*[[Tom Kühnhackl]] (born 1992), ice hockey player
*[[David Elsner]] (born 1992), ice hockey player
*[[Herbert Hainer]] (born 1954), manager
*[[Steffen Kummerer]] (born 1985), musician, guitarist of [[Obscura (band)|Obscura]]

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Iglesia de San Martín, Landshut, Alemania, 2012-05-27, DD 18.JPG|The Cathedral of St. Martin with its bell tower
Landshut st jodok.jpg|The Church of St. Jodok
Iglesia de la Redención, Landshut, Alemania, 2012-05-27, DD 04.JPG|Redemption church
Landshuter Hochzeit 09.jpg|The Landshut Wedding and the Church of the Holy Spirit
Iglesia del Espíritu Santo, Landshut, Alemania, 2012-05-27, DD 02.JPG|Church of the Holy Ghost, Gothic porch
Ländtor, Landshut, Alemania, 2012-05-27, DD 01.JPG|The Ländtor
Castillo Trausnitz, Landshut, Alemania, 2012-05-27, DD 13.JPG|The Trausnitz Castle
Landshut City View.jpg|Landshut city view
Ayuntamiento, calle Altstadt, Landshut, Alemania, 2012-05-27, DD 04.JPG|Town hall
Calle Altstadt, Landshut, Alemania, 2012-05-27, DD 09.JPG|Old town
Calle Altstadt, Landshut, Alemania, 2012-05-27, DD 20.JPG|Alstadt St, the pedestrian area
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Battle of Abensberg]], occurred 20 April 1809
* [[Battle of Landshut (1809)|Battle of Landshut]], occurred 21 April 1809
* [[Battle of Eckmühl]], occurred 21–22 April 1809
* [[Abensberg]]
* [[Eckmühl]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Landshut}}
*{{wikivoyage-inline|Landshut}}
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Landshut}}
* http://www.landshut.de – Official website
* {{in lang|de}} http://www.fh-landshut.de/

{{Germany_districts_bavaria}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Landshut| ]]
[[Category:1204 establishments in Europe]]
[[Category:Urban districts of Bavaria]]
[[Category:Lower Bavaria]]
[[Category:1200s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire]]
[[Category:Capitals of former nations]]