Ingolstadt in Germany

Situated at the beautiful Danube River in the heart of Bavaria, Ingolstadt is one of the eldest and most charming cities in Germany.

Early settlements prove the existence of a density of population since 1800 BC. The first time Ingolstadt was mentioned in an official document was in the year 806 by Carl the Great and it got its town rights in 1250. Although that, the city is being considered found around 600 AD by Ingold. The name was first "Ingoldes Stadt" (City of Ingold), but throughout the centuries it has received its present name - Ingolstadt.

An interesting thing to know about Ingolstadt's history is the foundation the Bavarian Illuminati, a famous secret society, which was established by Adam Weishaupt in 1776. Moreover, Ingolstadt is the seat of the automobile company AUDI, which was founded by August Horch. AUDI is also believed by some to be an acronym for Auto Union Deutschland Ingolstadt. The city has a very successful ice hockey team called ERC Ingolstadt, which is currently in the first place of the DEL in Germany and made the second place in last years' play-offs. The city is also the setting of the famous book "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelly.

Through the centuries, the city center of Ingolstadt has kept its old typical town architecture style and buildings that date from the middle Ages. Some parts of the city wall are restored in their original look and there are a couple of museums that are worth a visit, like the Military Museum, the Toy Museum, the German Medicine Historical Museum and others.

Although this city has a quite small population of approximately 122 000 people, Ingolstadt has a big number of feasts celebrated throughout the year. The most famous ones are the "Pfingstvolksfest" (02.06-11.06) and the "Herbstfest" (22.09-03.10), where people are drinking a lot of beer, enjoying the theme park-like atmosphere and looking at the little sales booths. You could actually say that it's a small version of Oktoberfest. Having mentioned these beer-feasts, it now seems appropriate to name the four breweries, which are providing the beer for them and are of course situated in Ingolstadt: "Ingobräu", "Herrnbräu", "Nordbräu" and "Westpark Bräu 1516". Other bigger feasts are the "Brunnenfest" (01.04-17.04), "Septemberdult" (09.09-17.09 and the "Christkindlmarkt" (01.12-23.12). In this year there will be even more feasts and parties, as Ingolstadt is celebrating its anniversary - exactly 1200 years, in February.

Ingolstadt has been developing tremendously fast in the last couple of years because of AUDI's growth and the region's popularity, as Bavaria has the lowest unemployment rates in Germany and the city is becoming a more and more desired tourist attraction due t its richness of historical buildings and culture.

Although the city has quite a small population of approximately 122 000 people, the locals entertain themselves in the numerous German pubs, others go shopping in the West Park centre, where one can find everything needed - clothes, food, things for the house, presents, sport goods and many more. Or if they just want to relax and meet with friends they go to the Cinestar cinema or drink a cup of hot Latte Macchiato in the local cafeteria.