Ingolstadt

Ingolstadt: Perceive the perfect blend of traditional and modern places all at once.

Ingolstadt is the city located in the heart of Bavaria sitting on the banks of the river Danube. The city is full of life, activities, and attractions which are found even in the smallest corners of the place. The city is the youngest main city in the country. Though it’s a city, people still consider it as a village as it can’t maintain with the big cities like Munich or Nuremberg. Nonetheless, the city is unique and charming in its own way and offers a variety of places to marvel upon.

The place became much more famous when Mary Shelly gave Ingolstadt setting where the scientist-Victor Frankenstein creates his monster in her most popular novel Frankenstein. The city is a combination of both old pieces of history along with urban glamor, vibrant and lively atmosphere. The shopping spree and University City on the Danube is the exciting twist of charm and atmosphere. The place also is the world of automotive discovery – the Audi Forum along with its ‘Museum Mobile’.

Ingolstadt’s university used to have personal links with St. Moritz, which was Bavaria’s first state university established in 1472. Due to this, the city for more than three centuries, prospered and became essential as well as the cultural center of Bavaria. Still today, the city possesses the essence of the era of alluring traditions and thrilling romanticism. The Illuminati, the ultimate secret society was set up in Ingolstadt. The place is inspiring for classical music fans, and we could hear the classic tales narrated by ‘genuine’ medieval night-watchmen on a guided walk tour around the city on a türmerey.

Location:

Ingolstadt is located in the heart of Germany which is 40 minutes away from Munich and 50 minutes from Nuremberg. The boundary is about 14 kilometers away from the Bavarian Center (geographically) in Kipfenberg. The old town is nearly 1,227 feet (374 meters) above the sea level, and the highest point is 1,348 feet above which is located in the Pettenhofen district. The city uses Central European Time as it is throughout the country and the time lag on average is by 14 minutes.

The city which is placed on the river Danube is expanding on both northern and southern banks of the river in a wide level bowl. The Ingolstadt basin bounds the foothills of Jura, which is located in the south while the north has the Donau-Isar-Hügeland. Southwest of the city has the Donaumoos while in the east, the forests of the Danube, which are the second most hardwood floodplain on the river Danube and are reaching up to the urban area. The previous southern major branch of Danube – Sandrach slightly covers the South City border. In the north region, the river Schutter streams through west stretching up to the Danube near to Altstadt area.

Weather:                            

The weather of the city has the dainty climate all the year. As it is in the Bavarian state, the Köppen-Geiger classification is Cfb. The city is warm, and level headed even in the driest of the month. The average temperature is 8.4 degrees Celsius and average shower here is 740 mm. The unexpected downpour is possible, and thus people are complied to have rain gears in handy. Each season here is irresistible, and the attractions and activities done here run all the year around. People from all parts of the world visit the city to experience these attractions all throughout the year.

In summers, the gentle warm air can be felt, and the sky is in is the brightest shade of blue. The average temperature here is between 20 degrees Celsius to 26 degrees Celsius, being greatest in the month of July. The winters are the coldest, sweeping away the humidity and heat with the average temperature ranging from 2 to -3 degrees Celsius. The spring and autumn make their way between the season changes having their natural beauty.     

History:

The place was early referred in a document of Charlemagne as “Ingoldes stat”, the Ingold place in the year 806. In the years 1392-1447, it was the capital of Duchy of Bavaria-Ingolstadt. The place was later on united with Bavaria-Landshut. The Duke of Bavaria – Louis VII then decided to place a New Castle, which was heartily determined by French-Gothic architecture. The University of Ingolstadt was established by the Bavarian Duke – Louis IX in 1472, which later became Ludwig-Maximilian University. During the Reformation era, the university was an important defender of the Roman Catholic Church, which was led by Johann Eck – a famous scholar.

Ingolstadt was a fortress city surrounded by the medieval defensive wall. The Bavarian Fortress has now become the Museum of the Bavarian army. The quintessential secret society – Illuminati was founded here by Adam Weishaupt in 1776. The Old Anatomy Building (Ingolstädter Alte Anatomie) which is now a medical history museum was a place where Victor Frankenstein created his monster in Mary Shelly’s best novel – Frankenstein. The Auto Union first arrived in the year 1945 which were smashed during the war and started with the spare parts operation afterward. Then, the Auto Union was finally re-established in Ingolstadt with the assistance of Marshall Plan aid in the year-1949. This hereafter progressed into the modern generation Audi Company, after consumed by Volkswagen I 1964. To this day, Audi’s the largest employer in this place and also rules over the city’s economy.

Surroundings:

Ingolstadt is the green city having various parks, forests, and green lands. In front of the walls of the city which now surrounds the ancient city center is the “Glacis” which is the salient green belt acting as the buffer area between the traffic, schools, and residential places. The biggest part of the city – the Klenzepark is also Glacis’s part, and it was initially a Landergartenschau site and had Ingolstadt State Fortress.

Settled on both the northern and the southern banks is Auwald, the biggest river forest in Germany, which means “river forest”, also known as “Schüttel.” It expands majorly from Neuberg to Ingolstadt which extends to the city center as well. As the place was the ducal residence of medieval generation, we can still find numerous Gothic buildings like Herzogskasten- and old ducal castle and the New Castle built after 1418. The various churches built during those days remain prominent and significant even today with their architectural beauty. Ingolstadt is also the home to Audi’s Museum Moblie, which has many visitors experiencing the history and guided tours.   

Traveling the city:

There are various options available for traveling in the city. The Munich airport is the closest one to Ingolstadt for international travelers, and the continuous high-speed trains are available through Munich Hauptbahnhof- a central station and 35 minutes away from Ingolstadt. Deutsche Bahn also operates in the city for travelers in Germany. The central station in Ingolstadt is Ingolstadt Hauptbahnhof (HBF) which is the second important station of the city.

There are also various main road routes which lead Ingolstadt from across Bavaria. The major federal roads are B16, B16a, B13, and B300. The Munich to Berlin Autobahn A9 passes through Ingolstadt. Thus, one can get into the car on the A9 and get here from Munich and Nuremberg within an hour and five hours from Berlin. Numerous buses also connect with other cities having cheap rates, reliable and efficient facilities with daily connections.  You can easily explore the city with the help of local transport that efficiently connect all parts of the city and major tourist attractions.

Why visit?

Ingolstadt is the perfect blend of traditional and modern surroundings having fairy style castles, nature and monasteries and the modern Audi and BMW attractions alluring various people. The place counts itself among those locations which have attractions even in the smallest parts. The Old Town has a condensed but detailed view of the historical buildings and baroque style churches in the city. It is a university city and the shopping destination with small shops, boutiques and best cafes, bars and clubs around. The historical places and museums in the city cannot be missed as you will find a new piece of information every time which will fascinate you. Also, for Audi and BMW lovers, this is the must go place having the Audi Forum and Mobile Museum. The natural lush greenery and riverside forest with picturesque nature is to marvel upon. A trip to Ingolstadt Village outlet shopping centre or strolling around Baggersee- a gravel pit and eating at lakeside are the perfect way to spend the weekend there.

Major attractions:

• Audi Forum and Museum Mobile: The guided tours through the factory with lip smacking recipes in the restaurants are one of the most favorite things to do for tourists here.
• Kreuztor: It is the most charming and best-preserved part of the old city wall. It is now termed as the city’s emblem.
• Asamkirche: The place hidden in the streets of the inner parts of the city is the gem of the Baroque art, extraordinarily the fresco on the Also named as St. Maria De Victoria has the stunning interior and leaves you awe-struck while walking in.
• Old Town Hall: The four buildings in one town hall is the enchanting architectural ensemble in the Neo-Renaissance style. Behind the town hall is stood St Moritz church which is the oldest one and next to the Romanesque tower of the church in the north is Pfeifturm- a slender Gothic tower.
• Klenzepark and Glacis: To experience the lush green city and surrounding the old town with it is Glacis- a beautiful green area to enjoy. On the other side of Danube, Klenzepark is the great outdoor activity place having children’s play area, picturesque gardens and beer gardens. There are also art exhibitions nearby.
• Liebfrauenmuenster: A Catholic

What else to see/do?

• BMW Welt.
• Monastery of Weltenburg
• Altes Rathaus
• Anatomical Institute.

The place of both traditional Gothic architecture and impressive history and modern surroundings and lush green aura makes this city cum village a unique and intriguing place. You can definitely visit this place with your family and friends and explore all parts of this great city.