Frankenstein turns 200 this year in Ingolstadt, Germany

Cruising the Rhine where Mary Shelley developed the story of
Frankenstein  (wikipedia)

INGOLSTADT, GERMANY — In 2018, Germany and Switzerland will celebrate the 200th birthday of one of the most famous characters in literature and film...Frankenstein.

The genesis of the gothic horror tale began in Europe in 1814 when a young woman named Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, who would later become the wife of  the English romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, stopped at the tiny village of Gernsheim, Germany along the river Rhine.

Frankenstein Castle is believed to be the inspiration for Mary
Shelley  (wikipedia)

Gernsheim is roughly ten miles from Frankenstein Castle, where, two centuries earlier, an alchemist was engaged in anatomical experiments.

Later during her travels, the young woman journeyed to the region of Geneva, Switzerland where the subject of galvanism became a popular topic of conversation among her friends one evening.

Mary Shelley wrote created
Frankenstein in her teens
(wikipedia)

Galvanism is a biological contraction of a muscle that is stimulated by an electric current created by two chemical reactions with differing properties. 

On an especially unseasonable weekend of cold, dreary weather, Mary, Percy, Lord Bryon and John Pollidori decided to have a competition to see who could write the best horror story as a means of passing the time.

After much thought, Mary dreamt of her experiences in Gernsheim along with the subject of galvanism. When she awoke the next morning, she formulated the idea behind a young scientist who created life from various body parts of fresh corpses.

Boris Karloff as the monster
(wikipedia)

Though the story was created in Geneva, where much of it takes place, another most prominent location is the  German village in Bavaria called Ingolstadt. Situated near Munich, the Frankenstein legend of Ingolstadt attracts thousands of visitors each year to experience the locations where the story took place.

With its legendary accounts from the earliest days of the study of modern medicine, the Old Town of Ingolstadt is one of those places that is an ideal setting for Mary Shelley's Gothic tale of horror.

The house on Lake Geneva where the story telling contest
established the Frankenstein legend  (wikipedia)

The "Hohe Schule" building was once used by the first Bavarian state university and the Anatomical Institute. Today, the Museum of Medical History, housed the first medical faculty north of the Alps. Wherever pioneers are at work, visions become a reality – but sinister creatures also began to take shape. At least, that was what many people of that period feared.

The main square in Ingolstadt, Germany where much of the
story takes place  (wikipedia)

Among the most popular ways to visit Ingolstadt is doing the Frankenstein tour that encompasses all the true sites that ares woven into the story. Be warned however, strong nerves are are suggested because there are some scary surprises along the way.

The Castle of Chillon in Switzerland was immortalized by Lord Byron   (wikipedia)

Anthologist and science fiction writer, Brian Aldiss, who died in August of this year, argued that "Frankenstein" should be regarded as the first true science fiction story because the central character,  scientist Victor Frankenstein, who audaciously crossed the boundaries between life and death, "makes a deliberate decision" and "turns to modern experiments in the laboratory" to achieve fantastic results. 

Consequently, the Frankenstein story has had significant and indisputable influence upon literature and popular culture since it first appeared two centuries ago.

Munich is not far from
Ingolstadt  (wikipedia)

The name "Frankenstein" comes from the combination of two words; "Franks" are a Germanic tribe and stein is the word for "stone" in German. Thus the meaning of Frankenstein is "Stone of the Franks."

Though approximately 300 miles from Ingolstadt, the actual Frankenstein Castle in Darmstadt is believed to be the inspiration for Mary Shelley's residence of Dr. Frankenstein.

Before 1250, Lord Conrad II Reiz of Breuberg built the castle and later changed his name to  von und zu Frankenstein. He was the founder of the free imperial Barony of Frankenstein, which was subject only to the jurisdiction of the emperor.

The Rhine is a source of many legends and myths in European
folklore  (wikipedia)

Adding the mystery surrounding the origins of the Frankenstein saga is Ingolstadt's connection with an Enlightenment-era secret society founded on May 1, 1776 known as the Illuminati.

The goals of the organization were to oppose superstition and religious influence over public life and abuses of state power. As with the Freemasons, and similar organizations, many influential intellectuals and politicians counted themselves among the membership of the Illuminati.

Neuschwanstein is another
popular site in Bavaria
(wikipedia)

The sinister aspect of such groups is that they were often alleged to conspire to control world affairs, by masterminding events and planting agents in government and corporations, in order to gain political power and influence and to establish a New World Order.

All of which fits neatly into the superstitions and atmosphere of the 18th century world from which Frankenstein emerged.

So as your 2018 vacation planning progresses, should your path lead you to Bavaria, you might want to explore the footsteps of one of the world's great villains in the town of Ingolstadt, Germany.

You're probably safe, however. After all, they say that lightning never strikes in the same place twice.