As a major Bavarian settlement, the town played an outstanding role in the Bavarian uprising against the Austrian occupation during the War of the Spanish Succession, when it hosted the Braunau Parliament, a provisional Bavarian Parliament in 1705 headed by Georg Sebastian Plinganser (born 1680 in Pfarrkirchen; died 7 May 1738 in Augsburg).
The market town (Markt) Gangkofen lies in the valley of the river Bina along the federal highway B 388 about 17 km (11 mi) west of Eggenfelden, 26 km (16 mi) south of Dingolfing, 40 km (25 mi) southeast of Landshut, 25 km (16 mi) north of Mühldorf and 32 km (20 mi) west of the county (district) seat, Pfarrkirchen.
The larger centres of population in the Lower Bavarian Upland are Landau an der Isar, Pfarrkirchen, Eggenfelden, Bad Griesbach im Rottal, Ortenburg, Triftern, Rottenburg an der Laaber and Pfeffenhausen.