Lower Bavaria is subdivided into two regions (Planungsverband) – Landshut and Donau-Wald. Recentelection results mark it as the mostconservative part of Germany,[3] generally giving huge margins to theCSU. This part of Bavaria includes theBavarian Forest, a well-known tourist destination in Germany, and theLower Bavarian Upland.
The Gross domestic product (GDP) of the region was 48.5 billion € in 2018, accounting for 1.4% of German economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 36,100 € or 120% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 100% of the EU average.[4]
The Duchy of Lower Bavaria was created for the first time with theFirst Bavarianpartition in 1255 under dukeHenry but there was no exact identity with the current territory. After the reunification in 1340, Bavaria was divided again in 1349, then in 1353Bavaria-Straubing andBavaria-Landshut were created in Lower Bavaria. In 1505 Bavaria was permanently reunited. For administrative purposes, Bavaria was split intoRentämter (plural ofRentamt [bar;de;es]). Lower Bavaria consisted of the Rentamt Landshut and Rentamt Straubing.
After the founding of theKingdom of Bavaria following the dissolution of theHoly Roman Empire in 1805, the state was totally reorganized and, in 1808, divided into 15 administrative districts(German: Regierungsbezirke (singular Regierungsbezirk)), in Bavaria called Kreise (singular: Kreis). They were created in the fashion of the French departements, quite even in size and population, and named after their main rivers. In the following years, due to territorial changes (e. g. loss ofTyrol [toItaly andAustria], addition of thePalatinate), the number of districts was reduced to 8. One of these was theUnterdonaukreis (Lower Danube District). In 1837, KingLudwig I of Bavaria renamed the Kreise after historical territorial names and tribes. This also involved border changes or territorial swaps. Thus the Unterdonaukreis changed to Lower Bavaria. The district capital was moved fromPassau toLandshut which was added fromIsarkreis.
Lower Bavaria andUpper Palatinate were consolidated in 1932 in one administrative district. In 1954 the two districts were restored again. In 1972 Lower Bavaria was reshaped when the rural districts covered were reshaped too.
