Landshut
16 July 2014
We began the journey from Katzwang to Landshut with a Bavaria ticket, valid from 9am Monday to Friday, midnight onwards during the weekend. Two persons cost €27, travel valid on local trains only. The direct train took less than 2 hours.
Landshut was
founded by the Duke of Ludwig I of Bavaria in 1204. Wow, over 800 years of
history! Its most glorious period ranged
from 1393 to 1503. It was famous for its
arts and crafts, attributed to master craftsmen, carvers, sculptors,
goldsmiths, etc.
Burg Trausnitz
The Trausnitz Castle is situated atop a hill above
Landshut. It was founded by Duke Ludwig
I in 1204 and completed in 1235. The
medieval castle underwent renovation and restoration between 16th &
19th century. The Dürntiz was built and the wall heightened and
extended. Ludwig X furnished the castle
in south German Renaissance style in 1516.
Fires destroyed much of the interior and the paintings.
One can see the interior only through a guided tour, lasts
about 1 hour. Rooms furnished with old
time furniture, paintings and sculptures are explained in German. The more special stuff are the chapel and a
staircase with the remains of Renaissance paintings restored beautifully.
Town Residence
(Stadtresidenz)
It is the first Italian Renaissance palace built north of
the Alps, dated between 1536 and 1543.
Viewed from the main street, the façade is like a big four-storey plain
box. The beauty is behind the wall. It consists of two parallel wings. The front is known as the ‘German’ building
and the back as the ‘Italian’. The halls
and rooms of the Italian wing contain very nice Renaissance frescoes.
Duke Ludwig X left the hilltop castle and built a palace in
the town centre, the most modern style at his time. It started with ‘German’ and then ‘Italian’
style after his trip to Mantova. He was
so impressed with the Italian art and completed the leftover in the admired
Italian way. A slide show put together
Landshut Residence and Giulio Romano Palazzo del Te in Mantova together.
They share very much similarity.
The interior can be viewed only through a guided tour. Combined ticket for the castle Trausnitz and
the residence cost €8. It was conducted
in German. It depends if the guide can
speak English. Mine? He could sparely answer simple questions in
English. But we could take photos which
was nice to compensate for not covering the English audience. The tour started with the Italian building
with fantastic renaissance frescoes. Painters
include Hermanus Posthumus, Hans Bocksberger, etc. Themes are from the Bible, mythology and
historical topics. Then we were led
through to the German building to view the living rooms in German style.
Opening time for Trausnitz and Residence:
April – September: 9.00 -18.00
October to March: 10.00 – 16.00
Monday closed
Guided tour lasts 45 minutes. Last one 17.00 (summer) and 15.30 (winter)
The medieval church St Martin was built in 1389 and
completed in 110 years. The most
striking feature is the tower, 130.6m high, the tallest brick building in the
world. It alone took 55 years to build.
You will also like the Rathaus with a beautiful façade, the river shore and the colours of the buildings under the sunshine.
The largest European Middle Ages festival – LandshutWedding. The marriage of Duke George and Hedwig, the daughter of the king of
Poland, is celebrated every four years.
The next one will take place in summer 2017.
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