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Ingolstadt

[ing-guhl-shtaht]

Ingolstadt, city (1994 pop. 109,660), Bavaria, S central Germany, on the Danube River. It is a commercial and industrial center. Manufactures include engines, machinery, refined oil, and motor vehicles. Major oil pipelines link Ingolstadt to Marseilles, France, and the Italian cities of Genoa and Trieste. Chartered in 1250, Ingolstadt was besieged (1632) by Gustavus II of Sweden during the Thirty Years War. The Univ. of Ingolstadt (founded 1472 and removed to Landshut in 1802 and then to Munich in 1826) was a stronghold of the Counter Reformation; Joseph von Eck taught at the university from 1510 to 1543. The city's noteworthy buildings include the splendid Gothic Liebfrauenmünster (15th-16th cent.) and other churches.

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Ingolstadt

Ingolstadt (Austro-Bavarian: Inglstådt) is a city in the Free State of Bavaria, Germany. It is located along the banks of the Danube River, in the center of Bavaria. As of December 31, 2005, Ingolstadt had 121,801 residents, making it the second-largest city in Upper Bavaria, after Munich. Ingolstadt is part of the larger Munich Metropolitan Area with a population of more than 6 million.

Ingolstadt is mentioned in the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. It is the birth place of the monster as created by the scientist Victor Frankenstein.

The Illuminati, a Bavarian secret society, was founded in Ingolstadt in the late eighteenth century.

The headquarters of the German automobile manufacturer Audi are located in Ingolstadt, as well as the headquarters of the electronic stores MediaMarkt and Saturn. Ingolstadt station has been connected to Nuremberg by a high-speed rail link since May 2006.

History and culture

Ingolstadt was first mentioned in a document of Charlemagne on 6 February 806 as "Ingoldes stat", the place of Ingold. Circa year 1250, Ingolstadt was granted city status.

Ingolstadt was the capital of the duchy Bavaria-Ingolstadt between 1392 and 1447. Ingolstadt was then united with Bavaria-Landshut. Louis VII, Duke of Bavaria ordered the building of the New Castle, which is strongly influenced by French Gothic architecture. In 1472 Louis IX, Duke of Bavaria founded the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Ingolstadt, which was moved to Landshut in 1800 and finally to Munich.

On 30 April 1632, the German fieldmarshall Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly died in Ingolstadt, during the Swedish siege. The fieldmarshall had been badly hurt in a previous engagement with the Swedes under King Gustavus Adolphus. 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.

Another piece of history is that the horse of Gustavus Adolphus can be seen in the Museum of the Bavarian Army in the city. The horse was shot from under the king, by one of the cannons inside the fortress. The cannon was at that time known as "The Fig". When the Swedes withdrew, the remains of the horse were preserved, and it was eventually put on display, and has remained so for almost 400 years.

Originally a fortress city, Ingolstadt is enclosed by a medieval defensive wall. The Bavarian fortress (1537-1930) nowadays holds the museum of the Bavarian army During World War I, future France president Charles de Gaulle was detained there as a prisoner of war. A sappers' drill ground is still crossing the river, two military air bases are nearby, one used for testing airplanes. The long military tradition of the city is reflected in today's civil and cultural life. Former "off-limit" grounds are now well used public parks.

Ingolstadt was the city where William IV, Duke of Bavaria wrote and signed the Bavarian Reinheitsgebot in 1516, the eldest food law still in use. Adolf Scherzer composed the "Bayerischen Defiliermarsch", and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is related to the Ingolstädter alte Anatomie, now a museum for medical history. In 1748, Adam Weishaupt, the founder of the Order of Illuminati, was born in Ingolstadt. The famous writer Marieluise Fleißer wrote Pioniere in Ingolstadt in 1928.

Schools

Ingolstadt School of Management

Ingolstadt is home of one of Germany's foremost business schools: the Ingolstadt School of Management. It's the department of business administration and economics of the "Catholic University of Eichstaett-Ingolstadt."

In national rankings, the B-school regularly scores among the top ten, which is due to its high academic quality and excellent student:professor ratio. The faculty maintains a vast network of partner universities for international educational exchange.

Currently, the Ingolstadt School of Management offers bachelor's and master's degrees in business administration (in German: "BWL - Betriebswirtschaftslehre"). Among the academic programs offered are also an executive MBA and doctoral degrees.

University of Applied Sciences

The University of Applied Sciences Ingolstadt is a new and dynamic university for technology, computer sciences and business administration. With around 2500 students the University is the biggest institution of learning in Ingolstadt.

Classes are small and students receive individual attention. The close interaction between professors, instructors and students creates a pleasant contrast to studying at a larger universities.

Several scholarship programs supported by companies such as Siemens and Temic provide gifted students with financial assistance during their studies. These students deepen their practical experience by working at these organizations.

The University of Applied Sciences Ingolstadt offers several Undergraduate and Graduate Programs. Every Program is listet under the top 10 in Germany.

University of Applied Sciences Ingolstadt

Literary references

Ingolstadt is one of the many settings in Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein. Primarily, Victor Frankenstein attends university in Ingolstadt.

Ingolstadt is also a pivotal location in The Illuminatus! Trilogy by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson.

Dr. Faust is mentioned in an old and short local tale.

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 was filled with Frankenstein references, and the full title of Frankenstein is actually "Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus" (also see: Prometheus).