Landshut Travel Guide
A detailed destination guide for your next Germany vacation
Landshut Overview
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 acts 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 over 60,000 inhabitants, Landshut is the largest city in Lower Bavaria, followed by Straubing (Straubing vacation rentals | Straubing travel guide) and Passau (Passau vacation rentals | Passau travel guide), as well as Eastern Bavaria's second biggest city after Regensburg (Regensburg vacation rentals | Regensburg travel guide).
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 (Munich vacation rentals | Munich travel guide) 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%.
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.
Where to stay in Landshut?
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Main Sights and Culture
The city is of national importance because of its predominantly Gothic architecture within the historic city center, especially Trausnitz Castle and the Church of Saint Martin featuring the world's tallest brick-tower. Among other Gothic architecture are the churches 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 originated especially the decorated inner ward of the Trausnitz Castle and the ducal Landshut Residence in the inner city. Baroque churches are 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.
[ source: Wikipedia ]
Maps and Driving Directions to Landshut
Landshut
[ source: Flickr]
Popular Points of Interest in and near Landshut
Trausnitz Castle
[ source: Wikipedia ]
The ancestral castle of the Wittelsbachs, built in 1204, was their residence as dukes of Lower Bavaria from 1255-1503 and their court when the Wittelsbachs became the hereditary rulers of the whole of Bavaria. The impressive fortifications, the high Wittelsbach Tower and the castle chapel with valuable altars and sculptures are medieval in origin, while the arcades in the castle courtyard, the Commedia dell'arte paintings decorating the famous Narrentreppe (Fools' Staircase) and the rooms complete with tiled stoves, furniture and tapestries date from the Renaissance. The Trausnitz Chamber of Art and Curiosities is a collection of 750 exhibits including works of art, treasures from the Orient and curiosities typical of the collections owned by rulers in the Renaissance era.
Hours: Open daily April - September from 9am to 6pm, October - March from 10am to 4pm.
Admission: Adults 5 €, Concessions 3 €.
Landshut Residenz
In 1536 Duke Ludwig X commenced the town palace today known as the German Building
. During an Italian journey, which also took him to Mantua, he was inspired by the splendour of the Palazzo del Té built by Giulio Romano, and commissioned Italian architects for his Landshut project. The result was the Italian Building
, the first Renaissance palace on German soil. The paintings on the coffered vault illustrating humanist ideas are primarily the work of Hans Bocksberger the Elder. The neoclassical Birkenfeld Rooms are unique with their rare French tapestries dating from 1803.
Visiting is only possible with a guided tour (ca. 45 minutes). On Tuesdays, Thursdays und Sundays at 2 pm there are more comprehensive guided tours which include the ground-floor rooms. Free tour every third Saturday in the month (without a guide).
Hours: April-September: 9 am-6 pm, October-March: 10 am-4 pm. Closed Mondays.
Admission: Adults 3 €, Concessions 2 €.
St. Martin's Church
[ source: Wikipedia ]
Construction of St. Martin's church began around 1385, under the architect Hans von Burghausen. The exact date for the beginning of construction of the church is not well-known, but its construction was first noted in the city chronicle in 1392. The building was completed in 1500. The church was built from brick and mortar, and five thousand wooden stakes were used for the foundation. The stakes are located completely in the groundwater, in order to delay rot caused by bacteria. With a height of 130.6 m (428 feet), the church tower is considered to be the highest brick building in the world, surpassing the Church of Our Lady, Bruges in Belgium by 8.6 meters.
In the year 2001, St. Martin's Church received the title of Basilica minor from the Pope in Rome. The church is built in gothic style and is obvious when taking a look at the many windows and arches it is trimmed with. Inside the church is a Madonna called Garland of Roses Madonna
carved by Hans Leinberger in 1520.
On the other side you can see one of the largest crucifixes of the late Gothic period. It was made by Michael Erhard and has been hanging in the church since 1495.
Related Sites
We collected some useful links related to Landshut. If you know a few more sites not listed here, or also know some insider tips or point of interests for this destination? Please share and submit your Germany travel tip. If approved it will be shown on this page!
- Homepage of Landshut: Landshut (official home page)
- Wikipedia: Landshut
- Stadt Landshut
More about the History of Landshut
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 reigned 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 15371543 after his visit in 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 (Ingolstadt vacation rentals | Ingolstadt travel guide) was moved to Landshut in 1800. But already in 1826 the university was transferred to Munich (Munich vacation rentals | Munich travel guide).
During World War II, a subcamp of Dachau (Dachau vacation rentals | Dachau travel guide) concentration camp was located in the city to provide slave labour to local industry. Since the opening of Munich airport close to Landshut in 1992 the city has become an attractive business location.
[ source: Wikipedia ]
What makes this Live Like a German Landshut Travel Guide special...
This Landshut travel guide provides you with an overview of Landshut, Landshut pictures, and a local travel guide that suggests many special trips, unique activities, and vacation ideas, that you can't find in a typical Germany travel guide.
Some of this information is compiled from popular and well-known sources (e.g., such as Wikipedia, Wikitravel, and great pictures from Flickr). However, what makes this Germany travel guide special is that most of the travel suggestions and insider tips are provided by local residents, property owners, and our readers, who share and submit their travel tips with us. All submissions are then editorially reviewed to ensure high quality. All this information is logically organized within this destination guide to make it easy for you to find things quickly.
In addition, the Landshut destination guide features restaurant recommendations, restaurant reviews, where to go for grocery shopping, sports activities, getting around, cultural events and highlights, entertainment, and health related information - so you are informed for your travel to Germany, and you can learn about all the cool things you can do during your Germany vacation!
