DEUTSCHLAND	GERMANY
Bundesland: Freistaat Bayern	Bavaria
Regierungsbezirk: Niederbayern
Stadt: Landshut

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Landshut is situated at an elevation of 477 m on the Isar river. Landshut is the capital of the administrative region Niederbayern (Lower Bavaria) and has a population of about 60,800 (2005).

The city of Landshut and Trausnitz castle were founded in 1204 by Duke Ludwig I. Already in 1231 Landshut became a Wittelsbach residence and in 1255 when the duchy of Bavaria was split in two Landshut became also the capital of Lower Bavaria. Duke Heinrich XVI was the first of the three famous 'rich dukes', who reigned Bayern-Landshut in the 15th century. The wedding of Duke Georg with the Polish princess royal Jadwiga Jagiellon in 1475 was celebrated in Landshut with one of the most splendid festivals of the Middle Age (today remembered as the "Landshuter Hochzeit"). After his death and a short war of succession Lower Bavaria (Bayern-Landshut) was reunited with Upper Bavaria (Bayern-Munich). Ludwig X, Duke of Bavaria, built the Landshut Residence in 1537–1543 after his visit in Italy. He bulit the first Renaissance palace constructed north of the Alps after the Palazzo Te in Mantua. Duke Wilhelm V 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. Since the opening of the Munich airport close to Landshut in 1992 the city has become an attractive business location. [Text adapted from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landshut]

One of the landmarks of Landshut is the collegiate basilica of St. Martin [centre], constructed in Gothic style between c.1380 and 1500. It was built in place of an older, Romanesque church, after large parts of the town had been destroyed by a large fire in 1342 and the old church then was standing thre metres beolw the level of the newly-built houses of the town. The exact date of the start of the construction is not known. The new church was first mentioned in the town's chronicle in 1392. The spire (130.6 m high) is considered the tallest brick construction in the world. In 1592 the church became a collegiate church when the collegiate monastery of St. Castulus of Moosburg was transfered to Landshut. The relics of the saint were brought to the church in 1604. The colegiate was dissoleved in 1803 but was re-established, without its former estates in 1937. The church of St. Martin was elevated to the rank of a Basilica minor in 2001. A treasure of the church is the crucifix of 1495, carved out of linden wood. At a total height of 8 m it is one of the largest crucifixes of the late Gothic period. The painting 'Madonna of the Rosary' of Hans Leinberger dates from 1520.

(see also list of other basilicae minores depicted on glasses of this collection)

Trausnitz castle [background right] was founded in 1204 by Duke Ludwig I of Bavaria. It is only since the 16th century that it has been called "Trausnitz". Before this time it carried the same name as the town. The name Landshut literally means 'hat of the land'. And the castle plays the part of the 'hat# providing protection for the city and the surrounding land. The castle was the home of the Wittelsbach dynasty, serving as their residence as dukes of Lower Bavaria from 1255–1503, and later as hereditary rulers of the whole of Bavaria. Duke Friedrich I of Habsburg (Friedrich 'the Fair'; Friedrich III as King of the Romans) was confined here from 1322 to 1325 after his capture by Emperor Ludwig IV ('the Bavarian'). Due to the wealthy dukes of Bavaria-Landshut, Trausnitz castle underwent many renovations and expansions of its buildings in the 15th and 16th century. In 18th century, however, the castle was used as a barracks and a prison for noble prisoners. In the beginning of the 19th century it was used as a hospital. Several rooms were adapted for King Ludwig II of Bavaria in 1869–1873. On 21 October 1961, most parts of the castle were destroyde by fire. Among the parts that have survived were the 'Jester's Staircase' ('Narrentreppe') of 1578 and the late Romanesque chapel of St. George of the early 13th century. Other parts of the castle were reconstructed. [Text adapted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trausnitz_Castle, https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burg_Trausnitz]

The monument for Friedrich Schiller [extreme left] was created by the sculptor Sebastian Osterrieder (1864–1932).
[http://regiowiki.pnp.de/index.php/Sebastian_Osterrieder]