Ingolstadt

Ingolstadt is a city located along the banks of the Danube River. This is placed in the center of Bavaria and has more than 120 000 residents. It is part of the Munich Metropolitan Area which has a total population of more than 5 million people.

Ingolstadt was mentioned in the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley as the birthplace of the monster created by the scientist Victor Frankenstein. 

The headquarters of the German automobile manufacturer Audi are located in Ingolstadt, as well as the headquarters of the electronic stores Media Markt and Saturn. There are two railroad stations in Ingolstadt: Central Station which has been connected to Nuremberg by a high-speed rail link since May 2006 and Ingolstadt Nord.

Ingolstadt was first mentioned in a document of Charlemagne on 6th of February 806 as "Ingoldes stat", the place of Ingold. Around 1250, Ingolstadt was granted with city status. It was the capital of the duchy Bavaria-Ingolstadt between 1392 and 1447. After this Ingolstadt was united with Bavaria-Landshut. 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 30th of April 1632, the German field marshal Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly died at Ingolstadt during a Swedish siege of the city. The field marshal had been badly wounded 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. The horse of Gustavus Adolphus can be seen in the City Museum. It was shot from under the king by one of the cannons inside the fortress. The cannon was 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 French 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. Adolf Scherzer composed the "Bayerischen Defiliermarsch", and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is related to the Ingolstädter Alte Anatomie (Old Anatomy Building), 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.

As one of five ducal residences of medieval Bavaria next to Landshut, Munich, Straubing and Burghausen, the city of Ingolstadt features many gothic buildings, such as the Herzogskasten (Old ducal castle; ca. 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. Also the churches of Saint Maurice (1235) and of the monasteries Gnadenthal and of the Franciscans date from the gothic era. The Kreuztor (1385) is one of the remaining gates of the old city wall. The gothic Old City Hall was also constructed in the 14th century, but later altered several times.

Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg

Hamburg is the second-largest city in Germany (after Berlin) and the sixth-largest city in the European Union. The city is home to approximately 1.8 million people, while the Hamburg Metropolitan Region (including parts of the neighboring Federal States of Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein) has more than 4.3 million inhabitants. The port of Hamburg is the second-largest port in Europe (after that of Rotterdam), and the ninth-largest in the world.

Hamburg's official name is the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. It makes reference to Hamburg's history as a member of the medieval Hanseatic League, as a free imperial city of the Holy Roman Empire, and also to the fact that Hamburg is a city-state and one of the sixteen Federal States of Germany.

Hamburg is a major transportation hub in northern Germany and became a media and industrial center with factories such as Blohm + Voss and Norddeutsche Affinerie. The radio and television broadcaster Norddeutscher Rundfunk and publishers such as Gruner + Jahr and Spiegel-Verlag represent the important media industry in Hamburg. In total there are more than 120,000 enterprises. The city is a major tourist destination both for domestic and overseas visitors, receiving about 7.4 million overnight stays in 2007.

Hamburg is located on the southern point of the Jutland Peninsula, directly between Continental Europe to its south, Scandinavia to its north, the North Sea to its west, and the Baltic Sea to its east. Hamburg is located in the position where the River Elbe meets with the rivers Alster and Bille. The central city area is situated around the Binnenalster ("Inner Alster") and the Außenalster ("Outer Alster") both of which are originally the river Alster but retained as lakes. The island of Neuwerk and two other islands in the North Sea are also part of Hamburg, located in the Hamburg Wadden Sea National Park.

The Altes Land region (old land) is the biggest contiguous fruit orchard in Central Europe. It extends over 143 km2 (55 sq mi). 76.8% of the trees are apples, 12.7% are cherries.

The warmest months in Hamburg are June, July, and August, with mean temperatures of 19.9 to 22.2 °C. The coldest are December, January, and February, with mean temperatures of -1.4 to 0.0 °C.

Tourists play a significant role in the city's economy. A typical Hamburg visit includes a tour of the city hall and the grand church St. Michaelis (called the Michel), and visiting the old warehouse district (Speicherstadt) and the harbour promenade (Landungsbrücken). Sightseeing buses connect these points of interest. As Hamburg is one of the world's largest harbours many visitors take one of the harbour and/or canal boat tours (Große Hafenrundfahrt, Fleetfahrt) which start from the Landungsbrücken. Major destinations also include museums. Many visitors take a walk in the evening around the area of Reeperbahn in the quarter St. Pauli, considered Europe's largest red light district and home of strip clubs, brothels, bars and nightclubs. The singer and actor Hans Albers is strongly associated with St. Pauli, providing in the 1940s the neighborhood's unofficial anthem, "Auf der Reeperbahn Nachts um Halb Eins." The song explains in a polite way how a sailor enjoys his last day with a trollop before going aboard. It was in the Reeperbahn that The Beatles began their career with a 48-night residency at the Indra Club, and then another 58 nights at the Kaiserkeller, in 1960, the Top Ten Club (1961), and the Star-Club (1962). Others prefer the laidback neighborhood Schanze with its street cafés or a barbecue on one of the beaches along the river Elbe. Hamburg's famous zoo, the Tierpark Hagenbeck, was founded in 1907 by Carl Hagenbeck as the first zoo with moated, barless enclosures. People may visit Hamburg because of a specific interest, notably one of the musicals, a sports event, a congress or fair.

Munich - The Secret Capital Of Germany

Munich is the capital of Bavaria Land (Bayern) in Germany and the third largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Hamburg. The city was founded under the name Munichen in 1158 by Henry the Lion Heart, duke of Saxony; half century later received the status of the fortress and was strengthened.In 1327, the entire city was destroyed by fire, but was rebuilt several years later by Louis IV, head of St. Roman Empire at that time. In 1806, Munich became the capital of Bavaria kingdom. Twenty years later, another prestigious educational institution, the University of Landshut, set his bases in Munich.

Munich is the city where The White Rose, a group of students, formed an anti-Nazi movement in June 1942 until February 1943. They have been arrested because they distributed leaflets in the University of Munchen. The city was seriously hurt during one of the Second World War, but after the American occupation (1945), Munich was rebuilt regarding a meticulously plan.When to visit Munich?
Munich is most visited between May and September, when the weather is beautiful. Months of April and October are perfect for visiting Munich because the city is not very crowded (with the exception of Oktoberfest) and the weather is sunny. Between November and March the streets of Munich are almost empty due to constant temperature below 0 Celsius degrees and because the sky is cloudy all the time.
What to see in Munich?
Munich is a popular tourist destination, being called secret capital of Germany. Marienplatz square, with the new and the old City Hall, interesting because of their towers where you can see medieval scenes. Peterskirche is the oldest church in the centre of Munich, Frauenkirche cathedral and is the most famous church in the city centre (the height of the towers, 99 meters, limited since 2004, new buildings of the city).
Munich has several art museums, including Alte Pinakothek, Neue Pinakothek, Pinakothek der Moderne. Other famous tourist attractions in Munich are English Garden, Museum of Science and Rathaus-Glockenspiel, a decorated clock which moves characters on the top of the City Hall. Probably the most famous sights of the city is Munich Oktoberfest, a celebration of beer, long two weeks from the end of September at the begining of October each year.Where to eat in Munich?
The kitchen in Munich and, in general, Bavarian food is not the most sophisticated kitchen in Europe. Most menus include combinations of pork, cabbage and potatoes. Specific restaurants are easily found in Munich but are slightly more expensive than traditional methods.How much costs a day in Munich?
In Munich, large stores, hotels and gas stations usually accept payment with credit cards but despite other European cities, money is always preferred instead of plastic. It's pretty easy to spend money in Munich. For one night at the hotel, public transport, visits to museums and lunch at the restaurant your budget starts from EUR 90.
How to get in Munich?
The Muchen's airport, Franz Josef Strauss, is little more busy than Frankfurt's but remains still a favorite transit point for most airlines. Flights from Europe, New York and Sydney are usual on Munich airport and the national ones are not neglected. Besides aircraft, other alternatives to reach Munich are: train (Munich has connections with the major European cities), buses and private cars which can be a convenient means of transport due to the good highway net from Germany.