Ara Hotel - Ingolstadt

Downtown...

by Laura_Mexico

This is what they call the central section, or "downtown", of Ingolstadt... It's only one long street full of big stores, some restaurants, travel agencies and other businesses... but it's very nice to stroll along the street and look at the typical buildings, as well as eat a little snack or do some shopping! I personally found wonderful stores and nice deals -- my favorite store in Germany was a boutique called "ORSAY"... great prices and nice clothing!

The Ingolstadt Half Marathon

by gordonilla

It seems that most cities have marathons and half marathons. Ingolstadt is no exception:

A highlight of the running calendar in southern Germany, with some 4,000 participants and around 20,000 enthusiastic spectators (of which I have been one). The route leads through the old town and the nearby recreation areas and don't forget to join in the pasta party afterwards, where there is always a festive atmosphere.

The Astronomy Park

by gordonilla

Located at the Adenauer Bridge, on the edge of the old town; the Astronomy Park is one of the most illuminating models of planetary orbits in Germany. It conveys, clearly, the size of our solar system.

As an aside, Ingolstadt was home to the astronomer Christoph Scheiner:

He was appointed a Professor at the Hohe Schule, his diwsciplines were Astronomy and Hebrew. His works on astronomy, optics and the human eye enjoyed high acclaim. In March 1611, Scheiner who was a Jesuit, was in the tower of the Heilig- Kreuz Kirche and was one of the first to discover the existence of sunspots.

at last...

by iaint

"...the build up"

The town where I live is twinned with Ingolstadt. My Rotary club is twinned with the Ingolstadt club. I hear about Ingolstadt all the time, for one reason or another.

Then in summer/autumn '09 I rented the spare room to a student from Ingolstadt - she was doing a 2 month work placement and needed short term accommodation in a bit of a rush.

Next, when the Ingolstadt Rotary folks paid their 4 yearly official visit in May '10, I accommodated one of them (and his wife). They invited me to their annual garden party. By then, my curiosity had reached fever pitch, so off I went!

"and?"

Well, it was a whistle stop tour! Arrived late on Friday night and left after lunch on Saturday...with a party in the middle!

I did have a great guided tour of the city (courtesy of Anna & Markus - thanks guys) and it did enough to make me want to see more. Tips to follow...

Rosi & Till (as well as all their friends) made me feel incredibly welcome, and a few touches made the experience pretty much unique! Tips to follow...

"verdict?"

Very favourable!

I'd been to that part of the country before - Lauingen, a bit up river - so I knew it was likely to be nice. However, being the home of Audi I did think it might turn out to be a slightly picturesque version of Luton. In fact it is lovely, and so is the surrounding country, with plenty other places (like Regensburg) for side trips.

Sunday: Exploring Fortress and Castle

by Russell_the_Wombat

We started our walk on the opposite bank of the Donau, where the biggest parts of the fortress are located. There is this pretty little garden behind it. Everything looks so quiet and peaceful.

Better not think about the purposes these buildings have originally been constructed for.

From there you have a view of the castle on the opposite river bank. It is a short walk thanks to the pedestrian bridge across the big river.

Come on, let's go!

The castle is a complex of building around a rectangular courtyard.

Here we see the big storage house and the gate towards the city.

The main building looks most impressive from the river bank. From there you look at the front with the two twisted towers. Like at Münster church, they are not parallel to the facade. Seems to be an Ingolstadt fashion.

From the courtyard, however, you see the total length of the castle. This here is only a small bit.

The main building of the castle hosts the Bavarian Army Museum, as you can tell from the cannons that are put up outside.

Mommy went to see the msueum but I could not accompany her. I had to stay in the bag at the cloak desk. *Grumble*

The pretty baroque gate tower marks the exit towards the old town.