Abteiland

From the early 13th century until the seizure of church property under Napoleon in 1803, the region belonged to the Hochstift or Prince-Bishopric of Passau with the prince bishop as its secular and spiritual head.

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.

In April 2011, the Abteiland Working Group was formed from the following eleven municipalities:[1] The Bavarian Forest 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.

With the first written confirmation of market rights in 1285, Waldkirchen was also received its own jurisdiction from the prince bishop of Passau, which was the lowest level of legal authority.