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Ingolstadt (,
Austro-Bavarian Bavarian (german: Bairisch , Bavarian: ''Boarisch'') or alternately Austro-Bavarian, is a West Germanic language, part of the Upper German family, together with Alemannic and East Franconian. Bavarian is spoken by approximately 12 million peop ...
:
) is an independent city on the Danube in Upper Bavaria with 139,553 inhabitants (as of June 30, 2022). Around half a million people live in the metropolitan area. Ingolstadt is the second largest city in Upper Bavaria after Munich and the fifth largest city in Bavaria after Munich, Nuremberg , Augsburg and
Regensburg Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the f ...
. The city passed the mark of 100,000 inhabitants in 1989 and has since been one of the major cities in Germany. After Regensburg, Ingolstadt is the second largest German city on the Danube. The city was first mentioned in 806. In the late Middle Ages, the city was one of the capitals of the Bavarian duchies alongside Munich,
Landshut Landshut (; bar, Landshuad) is a town in Bavaria in the south-east of Germany. Situated on the banks of the River Isar, Landshut is the capital of Lower Bavaria, one of the seven administrative regions of the Free State of Bavaria. It is also t ...
and
Straubing Straubing () is an independent city in Lower Bavaria, southern Germany. It is seat of the district of Straubing-Bogen. Annually in August the Gäubodenvolksfest, the second largest fair in Bavaria, is held. The city is located on the Danube form ...
, which is reflected in the architecture. On March 13, 1472, Ingolstadt became the seat of the first university in Bavaria, which later distinguished itself as the center of the
Counter-Reformation The Counter-Reformation (), also called the Catholic Reformation () or the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to the Protestant Reformation. It began with the Council of Trent (1545–1563) a ...
. The freethinking Illuminati order was also founded here in 1776 . The city was also a Bavarian state fortress for more than 400 years. The historic old town has been preserved. There are two colleges in the city. The place is one of the three regional centers in Bavaria. The city is mainly characterized by the manufacturing industry, such as automobile and mechanical engineering. The unemployment rate was 3.3% in February 2022.


Geography

Covering an urban area of , Ingolstadt is geographically Bavaria's fourth-largest city after Munich, Nuremberg and Augsburg. At its largest point the city is about from east to west and from north to south about . The city boundary has a length of . The city boundary is about away from the geographic centre of Bavaria in
Kipfenberg Kipfenberg is a town and municipality in the district of Eichstätt in Bavaria, Germany. It is known for its hillside castle and fortress, and for being the geographical centre of Bavaria. The river Altmühl flows through the municipality and its ...
. The old town is approximately
above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...
and the highest point, located in the district of Pettenhofen, is . The lowest point of the Schutter confluence with the Danube is at
above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...
. Ingolstadt uses Central European Time as throughout Germany; the average time lag is 14 minutes. The city is expanding at the northern and southern banks of the Danube in a wide flat bowl. The Ingolstadt basin borders the Jura foothills, located south and to the north of the Donau-Isar-Hügelland. In the southwest is the Donaumoos while in the east the lowland forests of the Danube reach into the urban area. It is the second-largest hardwood floodplain on the Danube. The Sandrach, the former Southern main branch of the Danube, partly forms the Southern city border. In the north, the Schutter flows through from the west reaching the Danube near the Altstadt.


History and culture

Ingolstadt was first mentioned in a document of Charlemagne on 6 February 806 as "Ingoldes stat", the place of Ingold. Circa 1250, Ingolstadt was granted city status. Ingolstadt was the capital of the Duchy of Bavaria-Ingolstadt between 1392 and 1447. Ingolstadt was then united with
Bavaria-Landshut Bavaria-Landshut (german: Bayern-Landshut) was a duchy in the Holy Roman Empire from 1353 to 1503. History The creation of the duchy was the result of the death of Emperor Louis IV the Bavarian. In the Treaty of Landsberg 1349, which divided u ...
.
Louis VII, Duke of Bavaria Louis VII (c. 1368 – 1 May 1447), called the Bearded (German: ''Ludwig der Bärtige'') was the Duke of Bavaria-Ingolstadt from 1413 until 1443. He was a son of Duke Stephen III and Taddea Visconti. Biography As brother of Isabella of Bavari ...
ordered the building of the New Castle as well as the Church of Our Lady (Münster zur Schönen Unseren Lieben Frau), also known as "Upper Parish" (Obere Pfarr), whose form was strongly influenced by French Gothic architecture. In 1472 Louis IX, Duke of Bavaria founded the University of Ingolstadt which became the Ludwig-Maximilians-University. In 1800 it was moved to
Landshut Landshut (; bar, Landshuad) is a town in Bavaria in the south-east of Germany. Situated on the banks of the River Isar, Landshut is the capital of Lower Bavaria, one of the seven administrative regions of the Free State of Bavaria. It is also t ...
and in 1826 eventually to Munich. The University of Ingolstadt was an important defender of the Roman Catholic Church during the Reformation era, led by such notable scholars as Johann Eck. Ingolstadt is where
William IV, Duke of Bavaria William IV (german: Wilhelm IV; 13 November 1493 – 7 March 1550) was Duke of Bavaria from 1508 to 1550, until 1545 together with his younger brother Louis X, Duke of Bavaria. He was born in Munich to Albert IV and Kunigunde of Austria, a daugh ...
wrote and signed the Bavarian Reinheitsgebot in 1516. In the Battle of Ingolstadt in May 1525, the Black Company – a unit of Franconian farmers and knights fighting on the side of the peasants during the
German Peasants' War The German Peasants' War, Great Peasants' War or Great Peasants' Revolt (german: Deutscher Bauernkrieg) was a widespread popular revolt in some German-speaking areas in Central Europe from 1524 to 1525. It failed because of intense oppositio ...
– took their last stand at Ingolstadt against the Swabian League, all eventually being defeated and killed. On 30 April 1632, the German
field marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...
Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly ( nl, Johan t'Serclaes Graaf van Tilly; german: Johann t'Serclaes Graf von Tilly; french: Jean t'Serclaes de Tilly ; February 1559 – 30 April 1632) was a field marshal who commanded the Catholic League's ...
died at Ingolstadt during a
Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
siege of the city. The field marshal had been badly wounded in a previous engagement with the Swedes under King
Gustavus Adolphus Gustavus Adolphus (9 December Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">N.S_19_December.html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Old Style and New Style dates">N.S 19 December">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/now ...
. Ingolstadt proved to be the first fortress in Germany that held out for the entire length of the Swedish siege, and the Swedes eventually withdrew. The remains of Gustavus Adolphus' horse can be seen in the City Museum. The horse was shot from under the king by one of the cannons inside the fortress, a cannon known as "The Fig". When the Swedes withdrew, the city preserved the remains of the king's horse, eventually putting the on display. It has remained thus for almost 400 years. In 1748, Adam Weishaupt, the founder of the Order of Illuminati, was born in Ingolstadt. After the French invasion in 1799, the fortress was demolished and the university was relocated to
Landshut Landshut (; bar, Landshuad) is a town in Bavaria in the south-east of Germany. Situated on the banks of the River Isar, Landshut is the capital of Lower Bavaria, one of the seven administrative regions of the Free State of Bavaria. It is also t ...
. Originally a fortress city, Ingolstadt is enclosed by a medieval defensive wall. The Bavarian fortress (1537–1930) now holds the museum of the Bavarian army. During World War I, future
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
president
Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government ...
was detained there as a prisoner of war. A sappers' drill ground lies next to the river, and two military air bases are located nearby, one used for testing aircraft. The long military tradition of the city is reflected in today's civil and cultural life. Former "off-limit" military training areas have been converted into well-used public parks. Adolf Scherzer composed the " Bayerischen Defiliermarsch". Mary Shelley's '' Frankenstein'' was set at the ''Ingolstädter Alte Anatomie'' (Old Anatomy Building), now a museum for medical history.
Marieluise Fleißer Marieluise Fleißer (; 23 November 1901, Ingolstadt – 2 February 1974, Ingolstadt) was a German writer and playwright, most commonly associated with the aesthetic movement and style of ''Neue Sachlichkeit,'' or New Objectivity. Biography Born ...
set her play ''
Pioneers in Ingolstadt ''Pioneers in Ingolstadt'' (german: Pioniere in Ingolstadt) is a play by German playwright Marieluise Fleißer, which premiered on 25 March 1928 in Dresden. The play is set in 1926 and is described as a comedy in 14 Scenes. Fleißer based the play ...
'' (1928) in the city. In 1945, the car manufacturer Auto Union first arrived in the city. The company's original factories in
Chemnitz Chemnitz (; from 1953 to 1990: Karl-Marx-Stadt , ) is the third-largest city in the German state of Saxony after Leipzig and Dresden. It is the 28th largest city of Germany as well as the fourth largest city in the area of former East Germany a ...
and Zwickau (both then in Soviet-controlled East Germany) were shattered during the war, and were seized by the Soviets as
reparations Reparation(s) may refer to: Christianity * Restitution (theology), the Christian doctrine calling for reparation * Acts of reparation, prayers for repairing the damages of sin History *War reparations **World War I reparations, made from G ...
. Auto Union executives initially started a spare parts operation in Ingolstadt in the immediate post-war period, with a view to relocating the entire company to the region. With the help of Marshall Plan aid, Auto Union was formally re-founded in Ingolstadt in 1949, ultimately evolving into the modern-era Audi company, after it was taken over by Volkswagen in 1964. Today, Audi is the region's largest employer and now dominates the economy of the city.


Demographics

Population development since 1450:


Cityscape


Main sights

As one of five ducal residences of medieval Bavaria—besides
Landshut Landshut (; bar, Landshuad) is a town in Bavaria in the south-east of Germany. Situated on the banks of the River Isar, Landshut is the capital of Lower Bavaria, one of the seven administrative regions of the Free State of Bavaria. It is also t ...
, Munich,
Straubing Straubing () is an independent city in Lower Bavaria, southern Germany. It is seat of the district of Straubing-Bogen. Annually in August the Gäubodenvolksfest, the second largest fair in Bavaria, is held. The city is located on the Danube form ...
and Burghausen—the city of Ingolstadt features many Gothic buildings, such as the ''Herzogskasten'' ('old ducal castle', ca. 1255) and the New Castle, which was built from 1418 onwards. The largest church is the Gothic hall church of Our Lady (Liebfrauenmunster), which was begun in 1425. The church was built to serve as a second parish church beside Saint Maurice as well as the burial place for Louis and his family and intended to be the official burial place for the future Dukes of Bavaria-Ingolstadt. Its peculiar and rare angle of footprint was emulated in the 20th century built Cathedral of Newark. Also, the churches of Saint Maurice (1235) and of the Gnadenthal and Franciscan monasteries date from the Gothic era. The Kreuztor (1385) is one of the remaining gates of the old city wall and to this day the key landmark of the city. The Gothic Old City Hall was constructed in the 14th century and later altered several times. The Baroque era is represented by the Old Anatomy Building of the university (1723–1736, designed by Gabriel de Gabrieli) and the church St. Maria de Victoria, which was built by the
Asam brothers The Asam brothers (Cosmas Damian Asam and Egid Quirin Asam) were sculptors, workers in stucco, painters, and architects, who worked mostly together and in southern Germany. They are among the most important representatives of the German late B ...
(1732–1736). The church of the Augustinians of
Johann Michael Fischer Johann Michael Fischer (18 February 1692 – 6 May 1766) was a German architect in the late Baroque period. Fischer was born in Burglengenfeld, Upper Palatinate. He is a major representative of south German Baroque architects. He studied in Bohem ...
(1736) was completely destroyed in World War II. Many buildings of the neo-classical fortification of Leo von Klenze have been preserved, such as the ''Reduit Tilly'' and the towers ''Baur'' and ''Triva''. As well as being the home of the headquarters of the car manufacturer Audi, the town is also home to Audi's
museum mobile Audi museum mobile is an automobile museum owned and operated by Audi AG in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. Opened in 2000, it is devoted to the history of Audi and its predecessors, and is the focal point of the Audi Forum Ingolstadt. Description ...
, which is open to the public and presents historic exhibits and offers guided tours.


Parks and natural areas

Ingolstadt is a green city with numerous parks, green spaces and forests. The most prominent of these is the "
Glacis A glacis (; ) in military engineering is an artificial slope as part of a medieval castle or in bastion fort, early modern fortresses. They may be constructed of earth as a temporary structure or of stone in more permanent structure. More genera ...
", formerly an open space in front of the city walls, now surrounding the historic city centre. It functions as a "green belt" and a buffer area between traffic, residential areas and schools. It is possible to traverse it using spacious paths for pedestrians and cyclists, with a good view of the site of the former fortifications, including a well-preserved section of the ditch. Spanning about of the Glacis is , the biggest park in the city. It contained the former and was the site of the
Landesgartenschau A ''Regional Garden Show'' (''Landesgartenschau'') is an exhibition on horticulture that takes place on a regular basis in several German and Austrian states. In Germany, a state horticultural show at the state level is the smaller counterpart to t ...
in 1992. Klenzepark is south of the Danube river, opposite the Ingolstadt old town. In the warm seasons, about 100,000 visitors use the park every month, mostly young people. While about 75% of the park visitors come from Ingolstadt and the surrounding area, the remaining approximately 25% travel from more distant places. The biggest forest in Ingolstadt is the Auwald ("riverside forest", also called "Schüttel"). It is found on both the northern and southern banks of the Danube, and is one of the biggest well-preserved river forests in Germany, extending mainly from Neuburg to Ingolstadt with extensions to the city centre. The forest serves as a natural reserve, with parts containing unique vegetation or acting as a wildlife reserve. The Danube river runs through Ingolstadt, flowing west to east. In the area of Ingolstadt, the Danube is between 80 and 100 metres wide and flows past Ingolstadt's old town.


Schools


Ingolstadt School of Management

Ingolstadt is home to the Ingolstadt School of Management, which is the department of business administration and economics of the
Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt The Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt (KU) is a Roman Catholic research university in Eichstätt and Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. Compared to other German universities it is a rather small institution with 4,800 students in 2019; n ...
. In national rankings, the business school regularly scores among the top ten. The faculty maintains a large network of partner universities for international educational exchange. The Ingolstadt School of management offers
bachelor's A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ye ...
and master's degrees in business administration. Among the academic programs offered are also executive MBA and doctoral degrees.


Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt

Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt (THI) is a university for technology, computer sciences and business administration. With approximately 6,000 students, it is the biggest educational institution in Ingolstadt. Several scholarship programmes supported by companies such as Siemens and Conti Temic (Continental AG) provide gifted students with financial assistance during their studies. These students deepen their practical experience by working at these organizations. THI offers several undergraduate and graduate programmes.


Sports

The sports life of the city is based on the 83 registered sports clubs. The biggest sports club is the
MTV 1881 Ingolstadt The Männer-Turn-Verein von 1881 Ingolstadt or ''Men's Gymnastics Club of 1881 Ingolstadt'' is a general sports club in Ingolstadt, Bavaria. It was founded on 18 July 1881. Until 2004, the club operated a football department but after a merge ...
, with over 3000 registered members in 16 branches. In total, the sports clubs in Ingolstadt have more than 41,000 members. Ingolstadt is especially known for ice hockey and association football. ERC Ingolstadt, founded in 1964, plays in the
German Ice Hockey League The Deutsche Eishockey Liga (for sponsorship reasons called "PENNY Deutsche Eishockey Liga") (; English: ''German Ice Hockey League'') or DEL, is a German professional ice hockey league and the highest division in German ice hockey. Founded in ...
since the 2002–03 season. With the exception of its season of debut and 2007–08, the club has reached the national playoffs every year , and has reached the semi-finals three times. They won the German Ice Hockey League Championship in 2014. The football club FC Ingolstadt 04 came into existence in 2004 after the merger of the football branches of MTV Ingolstadt and ESV Ingolstadt. In the 2007–08 season, it was promoted from the third-highest division at the time, Regionalliga Süd to
2. Bundesliga The 2. Bundesliga ( ) is the second division of professional football in Germany. It was implemented 11 years after the founding of the Fußball-Bundesliga as the new second division for professional football. The 2. Bundesliga is ranked below ...
. In the 2008–09 season, it was relegated to the penultimate place, but was promoted again in 2010-11 and remained in 2. Bundesliga till 2015. In 2015, Ingolstadt won the 2. Bundesliga and were promoted to the country's highest league, the Bundesliga. During their first season in the Bundesliga, Ingolstadt finished in 11th place. They were relegated to 2. Bundesliga by the end of the 2016–17 season.


Literary references

Ingolstadt is one of the many settings in Mary Shelley's novel '' Frankenstein''. Primarily, Victor Frankenstein attends university in Ingolstadt. It is also widely regarded as the place where the un-named monster was created. The musical version of the novel, '' Frankenstein – A New Musical'' has many scenes set in Ingolstadt. Ingolstadt is also a pivotal location in '' The Illuminatus! Trilogy'' by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson. The sixth scene of " Mother Courage and Her Children" by "
Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a pl ...
" is set in Ingolstadt, when count Tilly died in 1632, during the " Thirty Years War". Rainer Werner Fassbinder's 1971 film
Pioneers in Ingolstadt ''Pioneers in Ingolstadt'' (german: Pioniere in Ingolstadt) is a play by German playwright Marieluise Fleißer, which premiered on 25 March 1928 in Dresden. The play is set in 1926 and is described as a comedy in 14 Scenes. Fleißer based the play ...
is set in the town. '' The X-Files'' episode "The Post-Modern Prometheus" makes a reference to the University of Ingolstadt. This was an allusion to ''Frankenstein'', as the episode contained numerous Frankenstein references, and the full title of ''Frankenstein'' is ''"Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus"''. In the Terra Ignota series, Ingolstadt is the capital of Gordian, one of the world's seven Hives.


Twin towns – sister cities

Ingolstadt is twinned with: * Aurangabad, India * Carrara, Italy * Central AO (Moscow), Russia * Moscow, Russia *
Foshan Foshan (, ), alternately romanized as Fatshan, is a prefecture-level city in central Guangdong Province, China. The entire prefecture covers and had a population of 9,498,863 as of the 2020 census. The city is part of the western side of the ...
, China * Grasse, France * Győr, Hungary *
Kirkcaldy Kirkcaldy ( ; sco, Kirkcaldy; gd, Cair Chaladain) is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It is about north of Edinburgh and south-southwest of Dundee. The town had a recorded population of 49,460 in 2011, ...
, Scotland, United Kingdom *
Kragujevac Kragujevac ( sr-Cyrl, Крагујевац, ) is the fourth largest city in Serbia and the administrative centre of the Šumadija District. It is the historical centre of the geographical region of Šumadija in central Serbia, and is situated on ...
, Serbia * Manisa, Turkey * Murska Sobota, Slovenia *
Opole Opole (; german: Oppeln ; szl, Ôpole) ; * Silesian: ** Silesian PLS alphabet: ''Ôpole'' ** Steuer's Silesian alphabet: ''Uopole'' * Silesian German: ''Uppeln'' * Czech: ''Opolí'' * Latin: ''Oppelia'', ''Oppolia'', ''Opulia'' is a city loc ...
, Poland


Organizations and clubs

*
MTV 1881 Ingolstadt The Männer-Turn-Verein von 1881 Ingolstadt or ''Men's Gymnastics Club of 1881 Ingolstadt'' is a general sports club in Ingolstadt, Bavaria. It was founded on 18 July 1881. Until 2004, the club operated a football department but after a merge ...
, Ingolstadt's major sports club * FC Ingolstadt 04, Footballclub in
2. Bundesliga The 2. Bundesliga ( ) is the second division of professional football in Germany. It was implemented 11 years after the founding of the Fußball-Bundesliga as the new second division for professional football. The 2. Bundesliga is ranked below ...
(II) *Grün-Weiß Ingolstadt, Footballclub in Kreisklasse (IX) *Ingolstadt Schanzer, Baseball team in
2. Bundesliga The 2. Bundesliga ( ) is the second division of professional football in Germany. It was implemented 11 years after the founding of the Fußball-Bundesliga as the new second division for professional football. The 2. Bundesliga is ranked below ...
(II) * ERC Ingolstadt, Ice hockey team in DEL (I) *The Bavarian Illuminati * Ingolstadt Dukes American football in GFL (I)


Notable people

* Philipp Apian (1531–1589), mathematician * Adam Weishaupt (1748–1830), philosopher *
Marieluise Fleißer Marieluise Fleißer (; 23 November 1901, Ingolstadt – 2 February 1974, Ingolstadt) was a German writer and playwright, most commonly associated with the aesthetic movement and style of ''Neue Sachlichkeit,'' or New Objectivity. Biography Born ...
(1901–1974), author and playwright *
Michael Heltau Michael Heltau (born 5 July 1933) is a German actor and singer. He was born in Ingolstadt, Germany, and now lives in Austria. Selected filmography * '' Hubertus Castle'' (1954) * ''The Last Man'' (1955) * ''Engagement at Wolfgangsee'' (1956) ...
(born 1933), German-Austrian actor *
Erich Kellerhals Erich Kellerhals (8 November 1939 – 25 December 2017Med ...
(1939–2017), businessman * Horst Seehofer (born 1949), politician * Eva Bulling-Schröter (born 1956), politician * Stefan Klingele (born 1967), conductor *
Reinhard Brandl Dr. Reinhard Brandl (born 11 August 1977) is a German politician of the Christian Social Union of Bavaria (CSU) who has been serving as a member of the German Bundestag since 2009, representing Ingolstadt. Early life and education Following hi ...
(born 1977), politician * Christian Engelhart (born 1986), racing driver


Notes


References


External links


Ingolstadt
Official website of the city (in German)
Virtual tour through Ingolstadt
(in German, but more images than text)
Catholic University Eichstätt-IngolstadtUniversity of Applied Sciences (Fachhochschule)Museum of the Bavarian Army
(in German)
Audi
(in German)

(in German)

(in {{Authority control Cities in Bavaria Populated places on the Danube