Ingolstadt

Ingolstadt is a city in Upper Bavaria that spreads along both sides of the Danube, with its old quarter enclosed by fortification walls and dotted with churches and townhouses from the Gothic period. The river divides the urban area into two halves, while parks line the waterfront and broad streets connect the historic core to newer neighborhoods.

The settlement was founded in the eighth century and grew into a trading post at a Danube crossing during the Middle Ages. In 1472 Bavaria opened its first university here, which attracted scholars and students from across Europe until it moved to another city in 1800 and eventually relocated to Munich.

The name comes from the Ingbach stream, a watercourse flowing into the Danube that once served as a river access point. Today locals gather at outdoor markets and festivals on the main squares, while the townscape reflects the mercantile tradition through guild houses and painted facades from centuries past.

The Audi Forum provides access to factory tours showing the car production process, alongside exhibits on automotive engineering and design. In the center you can shop in modern passages and smaller stores along the pedestrian streets, which stay open from morning until evening.

Mary Shelley chose the city as the setting for her novel Frankenstein, where the main character studies at the local university and carries out his experiments. This literary connection brought worldwide recognition to the place, even though Shelley herself never visited and her descriptions remained entirely fictional.

Location: Upper Bavaria

Inception: 1200

Elevation above the sea: 368 m

Part of: Planungsregion Ingolstadt

Shares border with: Eichstätt district, Pfaffenhofen, Neuburg-Schrobenhausen

Website: https://ingolstadt.de

GPS coordinates: 48.76302,11.42504

Latest update: December 15, 2025 06:01