Dingolfing: The Birthplace of the Goggomobil

The 100-kilometer journey from Oktoberfest in Munich to Dingolfing can feel quite long when you’re perched on a Goggo scooter – especially in the rain. Soaking wet and shaken after a rainy ride, Hans Glas, inventor and owner of the Glas-factory, made himself a promise that he would add a roof to his motorcycle.

What Glas envisioned on that uncomfortable September night in 1956 became reality three years later, when the first Goggomobil rolled off the production line. Because the compact car could be driven with a motorcycle license and was affordable for many, the Goggomobil – nicknamed the “paperweight” – helped accelerate the industrialization of the previously poor and rural hills of Lower Bavaria.

Half Goggo, Half BMW

This is at least how Stefan Füchsl presents the success story of the automotive industry in Dingolfing. He arrived from Landau with his wife and child in a striking fire-red Glas IV, a successor to the Goggomobil. “I work as a product manager at BMW,” he says proudly, counting himself among the 17,000 workers and employees of the region’s most important employer.

“As a classic car fan, I was responsible for the paintwork on the Glas cars displayed at the Museum of Industrial History. In the museum, we also show a Goggomobil and a modern BMW, both cut in half lengthwise. It’s incredible to see how far technology has advanced in the last 50 years.”

City Tour in a Goggomobil

Heribert Füchsl, Stefan’s father, takes me on a city tour of Dingolfing in his sea-green Goggomobil. We begin at the Hans Glas Monument in the Neustadt, located next to a building of the BMW factory. The Munich-based automaker took over the struggling Glas car factory in 1967.

Hans Glas, who rose from a seed drill manufacturer to the “car king” of Dingolfing, holds cult status in the classic car scene. Enthusiasts gather in Glas clubs to exchange experiences and spare parts. From the Glas Monument, we head off with a little over 13 horsepower, crossing the Isar River into Dingolfing’s Old Town – or rather, into what remains of the Gothic city of Tinguluinga, after wars and industrialization took their toll.

„Luckily, the Goggo’s windows are small, or a dachshund might peek inside your car.“

We rattle along under the Hochbrücke bridge, an impressive brick structure from the early 17th century that connects the upper and lower parts of the city. It’s not easy to fully appreciate the grand pillars of the bridge or the historic buildings on Marienplatz square, Speisemarkt market area, and Bruckstraße while passing by in the compact Goggomobil. The small windows add to the charm, as a popular song celebrating the Goggo humorously notes: “Luckily, the Goggo’s windows are small, or a dachshund might peek inside your car.”

Historic Dingolfing

The 84-meter-high tower of St. Johannes Parish Church doesn’t easily fit into view. To this day, citizens pray in Bavaria’s most beautiful late Gothic sacred building. Since 1522, a seven-meter-high cross with the “Colossal Christ of Dingolfing” has hovered over the heads of the faithful, suspended from the ribbed vault. The crucified Christ, standing 3.80 meters tall, is of an awe-inspiring size.

On a rocky spur, Duke Otto II of the Bavarian Wittelsbach dynasty founded the upper town in 1251. Meanwhile, the Bishop of Regensburg established himself in the lower town but was soon ousted by the Wittelsbachs. Of the town's fortifications, only a section of the city wall, the Storchenturm (Stork Tower), and the Stinkerturm (Stinker Tower) remain. The Thirty Years’ War, as well as the Spanish and Austrian Wars of Succession, caused severe damage to the small town, leaving the residents impoverished.

It was only in the mid-19th century that recovery began slowly. Although further historical structures fell victim to industrialization, engineers like Maurus Glas – the pioneer of the Glas factories – played a crucial role in advancing economic development with their inventions. All of this can be explored in the very modern and vividly designed Museum of Industrial History.

Homesickness as a Turbo Substitute

The unfamiliar smell of a two-stroke exhaust cloud fills the air, and every cobblestone of Marienplatz square’s pavement can be felt through the car’s body and seat.

„Regardless, the Goggo can reach 80 kilometers per hour – with a bit of homesickness, even 100“

“The bumpiness comes from the small wheels. Still, we once drove to Lake Garda with the club. Regardless, the Goggo can reach 80 kilometers per hour – with a bit of homesickness, even 100,” jokes Heribert Füchsl as he navigates through Wollertor gate, across the city ring, and into the upper town to the magnificent Duke’s Castle, which houses the museum as well as the best Italian restaurant in the city. 

The castle, with its richly decorated stepped gable, was once home to the Lower Bavarian dukes, and the town’s dignitaries would gather there to raise their tankards in celebration.

Fright in the Beer Cellar

A hundred meters further down, the inn “Wirgarten” serves hearty Bavarian cuisine, which can also be enjoyed in the charming historic Salettl. “This used to be a Franciscan monastery, but it was dissolved during secularization in the 17th century,” explains Armin Huber, the brother of the owner and a jack-of-all-trades. “When we converted it into a hotel, restaurant, and beer garden, we honored the house’s history by furnishing it with antiques.”

Old wrought-iron door locks, slightly gloomy and ornate furniture, beds with twisted columns supporting frilly canopies – all of it has been carefully collected, restored, or handcrafted by Huber, including an Iron Maiden with extra-long spikes, perfect for cracking jokes among merry drinkers.

His personal passion is giving tours through nearly 1,000 square meters of musty barrel vaults from the 17th century, delighting in giving visitors a bit of a fright. Rusty pincers and a rubber rat are his props, even though the vaults once harmlessly stored the monks’ beer.

Restoring the Isar’s natural flow!

Max Wagner is one of the people who contributed to Dingolfing’s transformation into an industrial city. For 40 years, he worked as an automotive mechanic on the BMW assembly line. Now retired, he is focused on giving the city its Isar River back. The river is Wagner’s natural habitat, and he is active on the board of the local fishing association.

“It’s incredible what lives in just one cubic meter of water! I grew up with and alongside the Isar. Fish fascinated me even as a child,” he says. “Now I volunteer for Isar Life, a project by the Water Management Authority in Landshut. The straightened riverbed is being restored piece by piece.”

Fishermen support the renaturation of the Isar partly out of self-interest. “The newly created gravel banks have become spawning grounds, and tiny creatures find a home in the shallow water between the pebbles. Birds and insects are returning to the floodplain forests, and oxbow lakes have been recreated,” reports Wagner. “We’ve even built nesting cavities for kingfishers!” He takes a detour to one of these tranquil waters. Willow branches sway in the wind, and a beaver lodge juts out of the water.

Sitting Still or Air Tricks?

The Isar River separates the Old Town from the newly developed residential neighborhoods and commercial areas. In the future, it won’t divide the city but enhance it. Even now, residents are enjoying swimming coves, while anglers appreciate the new, tranquil riverbanks where they can peacefully wait for a fish to bite.

Once a year, during the grand Fishermen’s Festival, relaxation is out of the question: Anyone aiming to become Fisher King must, after hours of nerve-wracking competitive fishing, present the largest and heaviest catch precisely at twelve noon.

Artistic Board Games

Water has long played an important role in Dingolfing, albeit in a tamed form. Many artistically designed fountains bubble throughout the town, the vast reservoir offers opportunities for cycling and walking, and the “Caprima” water park draws visitors from all over eastern Bavaria.

„From the moment the ice floes are gone until the lake freezes over again, I’m here.“

Young, active people enjoy spending time at Lake Wörth, where a cable system for wakeboarding offers plenty of excitement. “Wakeboarding is the trend sport,” says Viktoria, the daughter of the owner of Waketoolz. As one of the youngest up-and-coming athletes in the sport, she takes it seriously: “From the moment the ice floes are gone until the lake freezes over again, I’m here.”

With a helmet and back protector, she steps into the firmly mounted bindings on her board, hooks onto the cable system, and speeds off. The tow bar pulls the young extreme athlete across the water at speeds of up to 30 kilometers per hour. She launches into the air and impresses us with some daring maneuvers known as air tricks. Sitting still, like the mostly older men do while fishing, is definitely not her thing.