The Abteiland ("Abbey Land") is a former estate owned by Niedernburg Abbey above Passau. From the early 13th century until the seizure of church property under

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

in 1803, the region belonged to the ''

Hochstift In the Holy Roman Empire and the Catholic Church, the German term (plural: ) referred to the territory ruled by a bishop as a prince (i.e. prince-bishop), as opposed to his diocese, generally much larger and over which he exercised only spir ...

'' or Prince-Bishopric of Passau with the prince bishop as its secular and spiritual head. The region lies in the

Bavarian Forest The village of Zell in the Bavarian Forest The Bavarian Forest (German: ' or ''Bayerwald''; bar, Boarischa Woid) is a wooded, low-mountain region in Bavaria, Germany that is about 100 kilometres long. It runs along the Czech border and is co ...

north of the

River Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...

and east of the River

Ilz The Ilz () is a river running through the Bavarian Forest, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Danube and in length ( including its main source river Große Ohe), during which it travels down a height difference of ~140m. The Ilz is formed a ...

. It was crossed by a historical trade route, the Goldener Steig ("Golden Trail"). Its main settlement was Waldkirchen, which was granted wide-ranging rights by the prince bishops of Passau. The Abteiland has great significance as a cultural landscape rich in species and habitats and is viewed as a refugium for endangered plants and animals. Together with the

Neuburg Forest The Neuburg Forest (german: Neuburger Wald) is a largely forested hill ridge and natural region in Lower Bavaria in the county of Passau and the borough of Passau. It is named after the village of Neuburg am Inn. Geography The Neuburg Forest i ...

it forms

natural region A natural region (landscape unit) is a basic geographic unit. Usually, it is a region which is distinguished by its common natural features of geography, geology, and climate. From the ecological point of view, the naturally occurring flora and ...

no. 408 - the Passau Abteiland and Neuburg Forest - within the

Upper Palatine-Bavarian Forest The Upper Palatine-Bavarian Forest (german: Oberpfälzisch-Bayerische Wald), (no. D63 or 40) is a natural region in Germany in the northeast of Bavaria. It mainly comprises the low mountain ranges of the Bavarian Forest and Upper Palatine Forest wh ...

. In April 2011, the Abteiland Working Group was formed from the following eleven municipalities: {, class="wikitable zebra sortable" ! Municipality ! Population
2011 ! Area
(km²) ! Coordinates , - , Hauzenberg , align="right" , 12.025 , align="right" , 82,82 , , - , Thyrnau , align="right" , 4.235 , align="right" , 33,68 , , - ,

Obernzell Obernzell ( bar, label=Central Bavarian, Obanzoi) is a municipality in the district of Passau in Bavaria in Germany. Geography Geographical location Obernzell is located in the Donau-Wald region at the Danube River. The middle of the Danube Ri ...

, align="right" , 3.850 , align="right" , 18,25 , , - ,

Untergriesbach Untergriesbach ( bar, label=Central Bavarian, Untagriasbo) is a municipality in the district of Passau in Bavaria in Germany. Geography Untergriesbach is located in the southern Bavarian Forest and extends high above the deep valley of the Da ...

, align="right" , 3.104 , align="right" , 73,60 , , - , Sonnen , align="right" , 1.447 , align="right" , 16,48 , , - ,

Wegscheid Wegscheid is a municipality in the district of Passau in Bavaria in Germany. In November 1936, Fritz Wächtler Fritz Wächtler (7 January 1891 – 19 April 1945) was a Nazi Party official and politician who served as the ''Gauleiter'' of ...

, align="right" , 5.517 , align="right" , 80,68 , , - , Breitenberg , align="right" , 2.173 , align="right" , 29,87 , , - , Neureichenau , align="right" , 4.396 , align="right" , 46,38 , , - , Haidmühle , align="right" , 1.388 , align="right" , 21,03 , , - , Jandelsbrunn , align="right" , 3.284 , align="right" , 42,40 , , - , Waldkirchen , align="right" , 10.507 , align="right" , 80,06 , {{coord, 48, 44, N, 13, 36, E, region:DE-BY_type:city(10507), name=Waldkirchen

History

The

north of Passau was settled in a first wave in the 9th/10th century. According to a (not wholly authenticated) document, in the year 1010 King Henry II (emperor from 1014) gifted large areas north of the Danube to convent of Niedernburg in Passau. The name ''Abteiland'' is still used today for the former estate of the monastery between the rivers

Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , p ...

and Rodl and the border ridge. In the early 13th century, the region came to the Bishopric of Passau. In the late Middle Ages, the area of influence of the Passau magnates and prelates extended as far as the present Mühlviertel in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

. Waldkirchen played a special role in the Abteiland. With the first written confirmation of

market rights A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...

in 1285, Waldkirchen was also received its own jurisdiction from the prince bishop of Passau, which was the lowest level of legal authority. There used to be a pillory on the market place, ''Waldkirchner Marktplatz''. The market town judge was appointed by the prince-bishop and had performed functions like that of a mayor. He performed his duties along with six council members. At the annual ''E'haft'' (''Ehehaft'' = 'sitting', from the Germanic ''Ewa'' or ''Eha'' = law) meeting, legal, police and municipal matters were dealt with. All citizens and residents (non-citizens) had to participate.

Traditions

Every year in July in Waldkirchen, the Market Judge Days (''Marktrichtertage'') are held as a traditional event. They recall the time when the market was still a part of the Prince Bishopric of Passau.

References

External links

ILE Abteiland
(Website of the ILE Abteiland)
Land der Abtei
(with historical information)
Additional information about the Abteiland

Historical Atlas of Bavaria, Altbayern, Series 1, Issue: 35: Passau. Das Hochstift
(Bavarian State Library)

by the Bundesamtes für Naturschutz
Passauer Abteiland – Nordteil. Landscape fact file
by the Bundesamtes für Naturschutz East Bavaria Passau (district) Freyung-Grafenau Regions of Bavaria Bavarian Forest Natural regions of the Upper Palatine-Bavarian Forest