Eichendorf ''()'' is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the district of

Dingolfing-Landau Dingolfing-Landau is a ''Landkreis'' (district) in Bavaria, Germany. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of Straubing-Bogen, Deggendorf, Rottal-Inn and Landshut. History The district was established in 1972 by merging ...

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Geography

Geographical location

Eichendorf lies on the river Vils. The market town is still very rural and serves as an administrative centre to the surrounding countryside.

History

19th century and prior

The settlement „Euchendorf“ was first mentioned in a document dated March 24, 1075 from Pope Gregory VII, in which he confirmed to Bishop Altmann von Passau the donation of three farmstead and a church of Eichendorf to the Monastery of St. Nikola at Passau. The remaining land remained in possession of the Bishop, who had most likely owned it since the 8th century. From the 12th to the 14th century there appears to have been nobility in the area. In the archives of the Aldersbach Abbey a Heinricus de Euchendorf was mentioned as a witness in 1170, and in the archives of the Monastery of St. Nikola a Karl von Euchendorf was mentioned in 1334. In 1350 Heinrich der Euchendorfer acquired land belonging to the Abbey of St. Nikola at Leibrecht. In 1264 Eichendorf was mentioned as „forum Eichendorf“, – Market Eichendorf – in a register of assets and income of the Prince-Bishopric of Passau. In 1358 Eichendorf already had the right to hold three annual markets and a weekly market, confirmed in a letter from duke Albert of Bavaria. On October 7, 1334 the Holy Roman Emperor Louis IV and his cousin Duke Henry of Lower Bavaria met in Eichendorf for reconciliation talks. The area was badly affected in the

War of the Succession of Landshut The War of the Succession of Landshut (''Landshuter Erbfolgekrieg'' in German) resulted from a dispute between the Duchies of Bavaria-Munich (''Bayern-München'' in German) and Bavaria-Landshut (''Bayern-Landshut''). Background George, Duk ...

; As recompense to the townsfolk for reconstruction, Duke

William IV William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded hi ...

allowed a fourth annual market. In the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

, Swedish troops burnt Eichendorf to the ground (completely, with the exception of the church). Further fires in 1835, 1848 and 1850 devastated entire districts. Eichendorf was promoted to parish status in 1896; it had previously belonged to the parish of Dornach.

20th century

The opening of the train line from Aufhausen to Kröhstorf in 1915 gave the town its first rail connection. Trains stopped running in 1971 and the track was dismantled in 1973; nowadays the Vilstal cycle path runs where the track once was. In the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Eichendorf came under fire and some districts were destroyed.

References

{{Authority control Dingolfing-Landau