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BAVARIAN ARMY MUSEUM - INGOLSTADT
Big Guns and Fat Uniforms at the New Castle

If you’ve always wondered how big Kaiser Wilhelm’s head really was or Otto Von Bismarck’s stomach, you can find their original helmet, hats, coats, armor and uniforms at the Bavarian Army Museum located in the Neu Castle in Ingolstadt, Bavaria Germany about 40 minutes north of Munich by rail or car. And believe me, they were indeed large figures of history, so to speak.

Ingolstadt, a lovely walled city along the Danube River (Donau) is home to one of the oldest universities in Europe which was the literary birthplace of Mary Shelly's Frankenstein creature (see GRAB YOUR PITCHFORK). Also not far away is the home to the new Willy Messerchmitt museum (see also LUFTWAFFE MEMORIES - A STROLL DOWN HENKEL LANE). The walls which surround the old center city are lined with colorful flowers in spring and summer draping from apartments still within the walls. The town market squares of the old city are full of shops and small eateries. Walking from the train station you can see the "New Castle" (Neues Schloss) of Ingolstadt, a red roofed fortress surrounded by a moat which has been turned into the museum of Bavarian Military History. Unmistakably, the front entrance is lined with a row of massive cannon barrels, green with the patina of oxidation, waiting for the invasion.

A self-guided tour through six floors of military memorabilia takes you through the centuries. The bottom floors are devoted to excellent and well preserved armor from the 12th to 16th Century. Climbing higher takes you through successive ages of swords, pikes, powder and canons of the gunpowder age. Upper floors displays swords and guns from all ages to WWII. Higher still, you find progressions of uniforms, including ornate helms and top hats, uniforms, black frock coats and great coats, the ceremonial armor of Kaisers, Generals and other great figures of German history who have only been names in history books. For those war game modelers and strategy players looking for authentic battle recreations, the top floor of the castle tower contains a massive diorama of the Battle of Leuth with 17,000 hand-painted figurines.

For backpackers, don’t bother looking for a campsite but also on display here is the Tent of the Grand Vizier Suleiman the Magnificent, taken by the Bavarian Army in the epic struggles between the Hapsburgs and the Ottoman Turks (see Osijek Tvarda) when the great Turk general King almost conquered western Europe. Camp out in a tent fit for a potentate. © Bargain Travel Europe

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Bayerisches Armeemuseum
Neues Schloss

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SEE ALSO:

A TOUR WALK AROUND MUNICH
From Beer for Breakfast to the Brauhaus After Dark

WINE AND WURST -
Bad Durkheim Sausage Festival and the German Wine Road

SECRET WAR FACTORIES
Essen Krupp Works

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