Culture
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Main sights[edit]
As one of five ducal residences of medieval Bavaria—besides Landshut, Munich, Straubing and Burghausen—the city of Ingolstadt features many Gothic buildings, such as the Herzogskasten [de; pl; ru] ('old ducal castle', c. 1255) and the New Castle, which was built from 1418 onwards. The largest church is the Gothic hall church of Our Lady, which was begun in 1425. The church was built to serve as a second parish church beside Saint Maurice [de; fr; pl], as well as the burial place for Louis and his family and was intended to be the official burial place for the future Dukes of Bavaria-Ingolstadt. Its peculiar and rare angle of footprint was emulated in the 20th-century-built Cathedral of Newark. Also, the churches of Saint Maurice (1235) and of the Gnadenthal [de] and Franciscan monasteries [de] date from the Gothic era. The Kreuztor (1385) is one of the remaining gates of the old city wall and, to this day, the key landmark of the city. The Gothic Old City Hall was constructed in the 14th century and was later altered several times.
Theatre[edit]
Stadttheater Ingolstadt
After the old Stadttheater in Ingolstadt was destroyed during World War II, it wasn't until 1966 that a new venue was built. The new Stadttheater was designed by architect Hardt-Waltherr Hämer [de; arz] and seats 663 people. In addition to this main theatre, the Ingolstadt Theater–complex includes four smaller venues. The Kleine Haus am Turm Baur [de], the open-air stage at Turm Baur, the Studio im Herzogskasten, and the Werkstattbühne, which is also located in the Hämer building. A total of around 500 performances take place in the Stadttheater Ingolstadt each year. The city also has a large number of other stages run by theatre groups with various sponsors.
The theatre has been undergoing extensive renovations since 2007, and a complete renovation is planned for the end of 2027, but yet uncertain because of the difficult financial situation of the city.
Museums[edit]
Ingolstadt is home to 11 museums run by various organizations (see: de:Liste der Museen in Ingolstadt).
The largest and oldest museum in the city is the Bayerisches Armeemuseum (Bavarian Army Museum), which houses a collection of weapons, equipment, uniforms, flags, standards, paintings, and medals with a focus on the Bavarian Army, as well as the Bavarian Army Library. The museum is located in the New Palace and the Reduit Tilly [de] and covers military history up to and including World War I.
The Bavarian Police Museum is the newest museum in Ingolstadt. It is located in the Triva Turm– a neoclassicistic building, built between 1828 and 1841 – which opened in 2011. It is a branch of the Bavarian Army Museum. The museum documents the development of the police force in Bavaria since 1918/19.
The Deutsches Medizinhistorisches Museum (German Museum of Medical History) – opened in 1973 and housed in the "Alte Anatomie" (a Baroque building, built between 1723 and 1736) – traces the development of medicine since the time of Ancient Egypt and is the only museum of its kind in Germany. In addition to surgical instruments, the museum features a botanical garden with a wide variety of medicinal plants.
The Stadtmuseum Ingolstadt (Ingolstadt City Museum) displays numerous exhibits that trace the development of the city and the region from ancient times to the present day. For example, the Kavalier Hepp building (a spacious fortification built between 1838 and 43 houses the amber necklace and a replica of Jakob Sandtner’s city model, and the white horse of King Gustav Adolf of Sweden. The Schwedenschimmel (Swedish Grey) is a stuffed warhorse that belonged to King Gustav II Adolf of Sweden; it was struck by a bullet and killed in 1632 during the Siege of Ingolstadt . It is considered the oldest preserved animal specimen in Europe.
Since 1998, the Kavalier Hepp has also housed the Spielzeug Museum (Museum of Toys).
The Bauerngerätemuseum (Farm Equipment Museum) is also part of the City Museum.
The Museum of Concrete Art exhibits works of artists of the concrete art movement. The Museum is guided by the universal idea of Concrete Art, which shares close affinities with Minimalism. In addition to an extensive collection of artworks, the museum has been collecting design objects since 2000. In 2026, the museum will still be located in the old building on Tränktorstraße, but is expected to move to a new building in 2027. At that time, the museum's name will also change to the Museum of Concrete Art and Design.
Audi museum mobile
The Audi museum mobile is a museum of Audi in Ingolstadt, showcasing historic car models and motorbikes of the company. It is situated in a round, fully glazed building, which draws on the principal of annual rings of a tree trunk. The museum shows the historic development of the company and gives additional info on the economic and societal conditions of the time. Audi with its ArtExperience-department also is a regular sponsor of cultural events like Classical music-concerts and the Salzburg Festival. In 2007 Audi was one of the cofounders of the Stiftung für Konkrete Kunst und Design Ingolstadt, which is connected to the Museum of Concrete Art and deals with the conservation of the legacy of prominent artists.
There are also smaller museums and memorial sites, such as the Alf Lechner [de; ar; nl; sv; ru] Sculpture Museum, the Heimatmuseum Niemes-Prachatitz, a local history museum, which houses the local history collection of the town of Niemes and the district of Prachatitz in Bohemia.
Marieluise Fleißer, who was born in Ingolstadt, has a museum located in Fleißer's childhood home.
