Patron city Ingolstadt

Located on the River Danube, Ingolstadt is the largest city in Upper Bavaria after Munich. The automotive and mechanical engineering industry and the immigration of numerous workers from Germany and abroad have enabled it to develop into a large city with around 140.000 inhabitants. Ingolstadt’s history stretches far back into the past.

Finds from the Bronze Age in the area of today’s old town prove the early settlement of the area. The first written mention of Ingolstadt can be found in a document from Charlemagne from the year 806, Ingolstadt was granted city rights in 1250. After the division of Bavaria into three dukedoms, it became the capital of the Duchy of Bavaria-Ingolstadt in 1392. The first Bavarian university was founded here in 1472, as the Hohe-Schul-Strasse indicates today. Ingolstadt owed its wealth to the trade in salt, and later in wine and beer – the proclamation of the Bavarian Beer Purity Law is still celebrated every year. Ingolstadt then proved its worth as a fortress town for centuries, but lost its importance in the 19th century. At the end of the Second World War, the town was badly affected by bombing and fighting and many buildings were destroyed. In addition, over 5000 refugees and displaced people came to the town, which further increased the housing difficulties.

The integration of the new residents was a challenge for everyone involved but was always supported by the city administration. After a sponsorship for the displaced people from the northern Bohemian town of Niemes/Mimoň had been acknowledged in 1953, the district of Ingolstadt did the same for the Bohemian Forest home district of Prachatitz/Prachatice in 1967. In 1972, this sponsorship was handed over to the city of Ingolstadt.

A visible sign of support for the expellees and their descendants is the “Niemes und Prachatitz” local history museum in Hohe-Schul-Strasse, which was opened in 1988 and is now run by the “Der Böhmerwald e.V.” association and the Niemes local history circle.