Upper Bavaria is located in the southern portion ofBavaria, and is centered on the city ofMunich, both state capital and seat of the district government. Because of this, it is by far the most populous administrative division in Bavaria. It is subdivided into four planning regions (Planungsverband): Ingolstadt, Munich, Bayerisches Oberland (Bavarian Highland), and Südostoberbayern (South East Upper Bavaria). The name 'Upper Bavaria' refers to the relative position on the Danube and its tributaries: downstream, Upper Bavaria is followed byLower Bavaria, thenUpper Austria, and subsequentlyLower Austria. It consists of 20 districts and 500 municipalities (including three cities).
The Gross domestic product (GDP) of the region was 273.7 billion € in 2018, accounting for 8.2% of German economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 53,900 € or 179% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 134% of the EU average. This makes Upper Bavaria one of the richest regions in Europe.[3]
The duchy ofUpper Bavaria was created for the first time with theFirst Bavarianpartition in 1255 under dukeLouis II, but there was no exact correlation between this duchy and the current territory. After the reunification in 1340 Bavaria was divided again in 1349, and in 1392 the duchiesBavaria-Munich andBavaria-Ingolstadt were created in Upper Bavaria. In 1505 Bavaria was permanently reunited. For administrative purposes, Bavaria was split intoRentämter (plural ofRentamt [bar;de;es]). Upper Bavaria consisted of the Rentamt Munich and Rentamt Burghausen.
After the founding of theKingdom of Bavaria the state was totally reorganised and, in 1808, divided into 15 administrative districts (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 of Tyrol, addition of thePalatinate), the number of districts was reduced to 8. One of these was theIsarkreis (Isar District). In 1837 kingLudwig I of Bavaria renamed the Kreise after historical names, and tribes. This also involved border changes or territorial swaps. Thus, the Isarkreis changed to Upper Bavaria.
Instead of a Rentamt-style mere administrational unit, the newly created districts became predecessors of modern regional self-government, building a political and administrational link in-between the Bavarian state as a whole and the local authorities.
Watzmann East Face, rising behindSt. Batholomew's church at lakeKönigsseeThe thermal baths inBad Aibling with its special architecture in the form of domesMax Josefs Platz in the center ofRosenheim
The highest mountain in Upper Bavaria,Zugspitze, offers an incomparable panoramic view of the Alps. Nestled in forested mountain ranges, the lakesTegernsee,Schliersee, andSpitzingsee, are idyllically situated. The larger lakes, likeStarnberger See,Ammersee (south-west of Munich), andChiemsee further to the east, all situated in the pre-alpine uplands, offer regular Passenger services on steamers.
