Landsberg (district)

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Landsberg am Lech is a district in Bavaria, Germany, located in the Upper Bavaria region. The district capital is Landsberg am Lech. It covers about 804 square kilometers and has around 122,000 residents (as of December 31, 2024), giving a population density of about 152 people per square kilometer.

The district borders Aichach-Friedberg, Fürstenfeldbruck, Starnberg, Weilheim-Schongau, Ostallgäu, and Augsburg.

History and notable events
- In 1180 the lands east of the Lech river became part of the Wittelsbach dynasty. The lands on the western bank were added around 1315.
- Landsberg district was created in 1938 and took its current shape in a 1972 administrative reform.
- During World War II, the Kaufering concentration camp complex (11 subcamps) operated in the Landsberg area as a subcamp of Dachau. The SS evacuated or destroyed facilities in April 1945 before Allied troops arrived.

Geography and landscape
- The district lies in the west of Upper Bavaria and borders Swabia. It includes the Lech river with several barrages, the Ammersee lake, and countryside that reaches to the foothills of the Alps.
- The main town, Landsberg am Lech, sits at the junction of the A96 (Munich–Lindau) and the B17 (Augsburg–Füssen–Austria).
- The lowest point is Unterbergen at 521 meters above sea level, and the highest is Sachsenrieder Forst near Dietlried at 853 meters.
- It encompasses natural areas such as Lechfeld, Ammersee, and Pfaffenwinkel.

Population and land use
- The district contains 31 municipalities.
- About 11% of the area is settled and used for traffic.
- Roughly 82.2% is agricultural land, with 54.2% used for farming and 28% covered by forests.
- The northern part is relatively forest-poor, while the southern part has more extensive forest areas, including Sachsenrieder Forst and Forst Bayerdießen.

Language
- The Bavarian-Alemannic language border runs through the district along the Lech, so local speech often varies; the Lechrainer dialect is typical for the area.