Abteiland
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 in 1803, the region belonged to the Hochstift or Prince-Bishopric of Passau with the prince bishop as its secular and spiritual head. The region lies in the Bavarian Forest north of the River Danube and east of the River Ilz. 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 it forms natural region no. 408 - the Passau Abteiland and Neuburg Forest - within the Upper Palatine-Bavarian Forest.
In April 2011, the Abteiland Working Group was formed from the following eleven municipalities:[1]