The extended Ingolstadt city walls once included more than 80 towers, giving rise to the nickname “The City of a Hundred Towers.” The name offers a first glimpse of the historical perspective that Ingolstadt provides alongside museums, literature and paths through green spaces. If you’re looking for a hotel in Ingolstadt, considering your interests can help you plan time for these different themes.
City History between Museum and Castle
At the Ingolstadt City Museum, a city model dating from 1571 illustrates the city in the late Middle Ages. Other exhibits take visitors through different periods. They include the Ingolstadt amber necklace, an amber find from the Bronze Age, and the horse of Swedish King Gustavus Adolphus, displayed as a trophy of victory from the Thirty Years’ War. Together, these objects offer different ways into history, from an archaeological find to a cityscape and a war relic.
The New Castle, also known as the Neue Veste, is considered a forerunner of modern castle construction in Germany. It is located at Paradeplatz 4 in the southeast of Ingolstadt’s Old Town. This connects its architectural significance to a specific location in the city, without confusing the castle with the City Museum’s collections.
Literature and Audi History
The Marieluise Fleißer House is dedicated to the writer’s life and work. The museum is housed in a carefully restored late-medieval townhouse with a former forge. The Marieluise Fleißer walking tour offers a different perspective: it connects historic locations with the author’s texts, which can be recited at each location or read on a display. The digital presentation may change, so check how the texts are made available on site before your visit.
The Audi museum mobile features more than 100 cars and bicycles, as well as multimedia presentations. They illustrate Audi’s history and long-standing tradition. Separate from this are the factory tours at the company’s Ingolstadt site, which offer insights into modern car production. If you’d like to plan a tour, check availability in advance.
Explore Green Spaces and Floodplains on Foot or by Bike
The nature trail is an approximately eleven-kilometre walking and cycling route through Klenze Park, Luitpold Park, the western Danube floodplains and the Glacis parklands. Eighteen information panels provide details about important habitat types in the city. The first section begins at Rathausplatz, passes through Klenze Park and Luitpold Park, follows the Danube, crosses the Glacis Bridge and returns to Rathausplatz via the Künettegraben.
The second section follows the Danube to the Ingolstadt weir, then continues via Fohlenweide and the Moosgärten allotment gardens. From there, it passes West Cemetery and returns to the starting point via the Künettegraben. The two sections provide clear landmarks for anyone looking to plan a walking or cycling route through different parts of the city in addition to visiting museums.
More Places in the Wider Ingolstadt Destination
In the wider Ingolstadt destination, Klenze Park—a landscaped public park on the south bank of the Danube—adds to the green routes. A bridge reserved for pedestrians and cyclists connects the park with the Old Town. Ingolstadt’s cycling network also includes four themed cycling routes that begin, end or pass through the city.
Other cultural and historical highlights include the Asam Church of Maria de Victoria. It was built in 1732/36 as a prayer hall for the Marian Congregation; inside the church is a ceiling painting by Cosmas Damian Asam measuring 42 by 16 metres. The Lepanto monstrance is on display in the sacristy. The German Museum of the History of Medicine is located south of the historic Old Town. Its permanent exhibition tells the story of 18th-century medicine. The museum also includes a Baroque medicinal herb garden, inviting visitors to look around, learn and stroll.
Those interested in medieval urban development will find another landmark in the Cross Gate: a symbol of Ingolstadt dating from the second half of the 14th century, it was one of four large main gates built during the medieval expansion of the city. This makes it easy to choose different themes for your stay—from city history and architecture to literature, Audi, green spaces and cycling routes.
See the full travel overview: Ingolstadt.
