Lower Bavaria (German:Niederbayern,pronounced[ˈniːdɐˌbaɪɐn]ⓘ;Bavarian:Niedabayern, Niadabayern, Niedabayan or Niadabayan) is one of the sevenadministrative regions ofBavaria,Germany, located in the east of the state. It consists of nine districts and 258 municipalities (including three cities).
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 underDuke Henry, though the Duchy was not identical in extent to the current territory. After the reunification in 1340, Bavaria was divided again in 1349. 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. In 1808 it was divided into 15 administrative districts (German:Regierungsbezirke, singularRegierungsbezirk), in Bavaria calledKreise (singularKreis). They were created in the same fashion as the Frenchdepartements, being fairly similar to each other in size and population, and named after their main rivers. In the following years, territorial changes (such as the loss ofTyrol [toItaly andAustria] and the addition of thePalatinate) reduced the number of districts to eight. 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 and territorial exchanges. Thus the Unterdonaukreis became Lower Bavaria. The district capital was moved fromPassau toLandshut which was added fromIsarkreis.
Lower Bavaria andUpper Palatinate were consolidated in 1932 into one administrative district. In 1954 the two separate districts were restored. In 1972 Lower Bavaria was reshaped when the rural districts it included were also reshaped.
