Ringelai
Municipality
Ringelai
Coat of arms
Location of Ringelai within Freyung-Grafenau district
Location of Ringelai
Ringelai Show map of Germany Ringelai Show map of Bavaria
Coordinates: 48°49′N 13°29′E / 48.817°N 13.483°E / 48.817; 13.483
Country	Germany
State	Bavaria
Admin. region	Niederbayern
District	Freyung-Grafenau
Government
• Mayor (2020–26)	Carolin Pecho[1] (SPD)
Area
• Total	16.39 km2 (6.33 sq mi)
Elevation	425 m (1,394 ft)
Population  (2023-12-31)[2]
• Total	1,928
• Density	117.6/km2 (304.7/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	94160
Dialling codes	08555
Vehicle registration	FRG
Website	www.ringelai.de

Ringelai is a municipality in the Lower Bavarian district of Freyung-Grafenau, Bavaria, Germany. It is also known as Schmalzdobl and the Meran of the Bavarian Forest.

The strange name is difficult to interpret, but probably refers to the body (Verleib, from Old High German laiba) of a settlement called Ringolo.

The village was first referenced in 1312 as part of the Kloster Niedernburg Passau, when someone named Christian von ring Laib appeared as a witness at a farm sale. Early reports indicate that the village, unlike the ones nearby, had fertile soil and a good quality of life. It was also the place were the border between the Diocese of Passau and Electorate of Bavaria, with there still being boundary stones from 1691 at the Geistlicher Stein. Ringelai got its first church in 1752, the Maria Patrona Bavariae, that was later renovated in the 20th century. It joined Bavaria in 1805.

On 27 April 1951, the municipality of Kühbach was officially renamed to Ringelai, with Kühbach now being a small village in the municipality.^[3] In 1978, Ringelai joined Perlesreut administrative community (Verwaltungsgemeinschaft Perlesreut), alongside Fürsteneck and Perlesreut itself.