Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [327]
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THE BIRTH OF FRANKENSTEIN
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, published in 1818, set a creepy precedent in the world of monster fantasies. The story is well known: young scientist Viktor Frankenstein travels to Ingolstadt to study medicine. He becomes obsessed with the idea of creating a human being and goes shopping for parts at the local cemetery. Unfortunately, his creature is a problem child and sets out to destroy its maker.
Shelley picked Ingolstadt because it was home to a prominent university and medical faculty. In the 19th century, a laboratory for scientists and medical doctors was housed in the Alte Anatomie (now the Deutsches Medizinhistorisches Museum; ). In the operating theatre, professors and their students carried out experiments on corpses and dead tissue, though perhaps one may have been inspired to work on something a bit scarier…
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KREUZTOR
The redbrick Kreuztor (1385), with its Gothic outline of pixie-capped turrets, was just one of four main city gates until the 19th century. The former fortifications, which are now flats, still encircle the city.
OTHER ATTRACTIONS
Ingolstadt has two of Germany’s leading art galleries for experimental materials. The Museum für Konkrete Kunst (Museum of Concrete Art; 305 1871; www.mkk-ingolstadt.de; Tränktorstrasse 6-8; adult/concession €3/1.50; 10am-5pm Tue-Sun) features creative abstracts and fascinating 3-D works in concrete, with artists of international renown.
The Lechner Museum ( 305 2250; www.lechner-museum.de; Esplanade 9; adult/concession €3/1.50; 11am-6pm Thu-Sun) highlights works cast in steel, a medium that’s more expressive than you might think. Exhibits are displayed in a striking glass-covered factory hall from 1953.
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Sleeping
DJH hostel ( 305 1280; www.ingolstadt.jugendherberge.de; Friedhofstrasse 41/2; dm under/over 27yr €16.90/20.90; closed mid-Dec–Jan) This beautiful well-equipped and wheelchair-friendly hostel is in a renovated city fortress (1828), about 150m west of the Kreuztor.
Hotel Anker ( 300 50; www.hotel-restaurant-anker.de; Tränktorstrasse 1; s €56, d €88-92) Bright rooms, a touch of surrealist art and a great location make this family-run hotel a good central choice. The traditional restaurant attracts a loyal local following, but the lack of English is a downside.
Bayerischer Hof ( 934 060; www.bayerischer-hof-ingolstadt.de; Münzbergstrasse 12; s €62-68, d €82-87; ) The corridors here won’t win any ambience prizes, but the rooms themselves, located around a Bavarian eatery, are furnished with hard-wood furniture, TVs and modern (albeit brown) bathrooms. Rates come down slightly at weekends.
Hotel Rappensberger ( 3140; www.rappensberger.de; Harderstrasse 3; s €85-150, d €110-185; ) This small, stylish hotel specialises in minimalist rooms with designer lighting and traditional German touches. The standard rooms are snug, but things get quite spacious a step up. The attached cafe-restaurant is a byword for chic.
Kult Hotel ( 951 00; www.kult-hotel.de; Theodor-Heuss-Strasse 25; s & d from €139-169; ) Aping the Asamkirche, the most eye-catching feature of rooms at this exciting design hotel, 2km northeast of the city centre, are the painted ceilings, each one a work of art. Otherwise fittings and furniture come sleek, room gadgets are the latest toys, and the restaurant constitutes a study in cool elegance.
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Eating & Drinking
Local drinkers are proud that Germany’s Beer Purity Law of 1516 was issued in Ingolstadt. To find out why, try a mug of smooth Herrnbräu, Nordbräu or Ingobräu.
For a quick bite head for the Viktualien-markt, where fast-food stalls provide international flavour.
Zum Daniel ( 352 72; Roseneckstrasse 1; mains €8-16; closed Mon) This is the oldest pub in town and just drips with character and tradition. Locals say Daniel has the town’s best pork roast and the seasonal specials are not bad either.
Weissbräuhaus ( 328 90; Dollstrasse 3; mains €8.50-16)