The Kreuztor, built in 1385, is the western gateway to the medieval city center of Ingolstadt

Ingolstadt

Ingolstadt is a city in the Free State of Bavaria, in the Federal Republic of Germany. It is located along the banks of the Danube River, in the center of Bavaria. As at 31 March 2011, Ingolstadt had 125.407 residents...

. The tower's name is derived from the leper house belonging to the Church of the Holy Cross (Kirche zum heiligen Kreuz), which stood to the west of the city walls until its destruction in the Schmalkaldic War

Schmalkaldic War

The Schmalkaldic War refers to the short period of violence from 1546 until 1547 between the forces of Emperor Charles I of Spain and V of the Holy Roman Empire, commanded by Don Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alba, and the Lutheran Schmalkaldic League within the domains of the Holy Roman...

in 1546.

This seven-turreted guard tower was part of Ingolstadt's second city wall. Of the city's four principal gates (the Feldkirchnertor, Hardertor, Kreuztor und Donautor), only this and the Feldkirchnertor survive today, the latter as part of the castle complex.http://www.kreuztor-ingolstadt.de