Geographical position
Landshut is located in the centre of the Lower Bavarian Hill Country (more generally also "Tertiary Hill Country"), which extends from the Danube in the north to the border of the Munich Gravel Plain in the south; the city thus belongs to the Alpine foothills. The tertiary hill country is interrupted in the urban area of Landshut by the riverbed of the Isar. Most of the built-up area lies on the flat terrace deposits of the river in the Isar valley. The Isar divides Landshut into three major urban areas: a northern part in the Isar-Danube hill country, a southern part in the Isar-Inn hill country, and the Mühleninsel in the city center. The southern districts of the city are bordered by a chain of hills, some of which rise steeply. The Hofberg, 505 metres above sea level, is the highest point in the urban area. Southwest of the built-up area in the direction of Moosburg is the bird sanctuary Mittlere Isarstauseen, which is one of the most valuable water bird sanctuaries in Bavaria. Further man-made lakes are located on the lower Isar to the east of the city area, the most important of which are the Altheim reservoir, the Niederaichbach reservoir and the Gretlmühle bathing lakes. To the north of the Isar, the Landshut flood basin runs through the city. As the name suggests, it is flooded in the event of a flood and thus relieves the actual course of the river in dangerous situations. In its unflooded state, the Flutmulde is one of Landshut's most popular parks.
The city is located about 70 km south of Regensburg and Straubing, 75 km southwest of Deggendorf, 120 km west of Passau, 60 km northwest of Altötting as well as 100 km from Traunstein, 85 km north of Rosenheim and 70 km northeast of the state capital Munich.
Geology
There are extensive bentonite deposits near Landshut, which are also mined. The formation of the bentonite is directly related to the Ries event.
Climate
The city of Landshut is located in the temperate climate zone with continental character. The climate is humid all year round. The average annual temperature is 8.5 °C, with January being the coldest month of the year with an average temperature of -1.0 °C and July being the warmest month of the year with an average temperature of 18.1 °C.
The average annual precipitation of 824 mm is among the upper average compared to other Bavarian cities. The precipitation of southern Bavaria basically increases from the north towards the Alps; thus, the average annual precipitation in Regensburg, located north of Landshut, is only 637 mm, while Rosenheim, located near the Alps, records 1075 mm of precipitation per year. The month with the most rain is July, when over 100 mm of precipitation falls, while February is the month with the least precipitation, with only 43 mm. Most snow falls in the days grouped around January 8.
City area
The city of Landshut is an enclave within the district of the same name. The urban area covers a total area of 65.7 square kilometres, which by and large follows the course of the Isar river flowing from the southwest to the northeast. This is how the relatively generous east-west expansion, which is a maximum of 21.5 kilometres, comes about. In north-south direction the city area stretches at the widest point at most 7.2 kilometers.
While the built-up area of about 20.3% is located in the center of the area, the city is dominated by water and forest areas to the east and west, which together represent another approximately 20% of land use. The most distinctive form of land use is agriculture. Over 45% of the total land area of the county seat is used for agricultural purposes. Approximately 8.1% of the total land area is devoted to a wide variety of transportation uses. Only about one percent of the area serves as recreational land.
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Panorama of Landshut (rare view of Trausnitz Castle and St. Martin's Basilica)
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Panorama of the city Landshut from the castle Trausnitz in north direction
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Panorama of the city Landshut from the castle Trausnitz in northeast direction
Neighboring communities
A total of nine municipalities border the area of the independent city of Landshut, all of which are located within the district of the same name. Starting clockwise, the municipality of Essenbach borders the city area in the northeast, followed by Niederaichbach in the far east, then the municipality of Adlkofen, followed by Kumhausen and Tiefenbach in the south. Finally, in the extreme southwest of the urban area, there are borders with Eching as well as Bruckberg. In the north, the municipalities of Altdorf and Ergolding still border.
