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Things to do in Ulm
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Ulm


Ulm is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the River Danube on the border with Bavaria. The city, whose population is estimated at more than 126,000 (2018), forms an urban district of its own (German: Stadtkreis) and is the administrative seat of the Alb-Donau district.

Founded around 850, Ulm is rich in history and traditions as a former free imperial city. The neighboring town of Neu-Ulm in Bavaria was part of Ulm until 1810.

Today, Ulm is an economic centre due to its varied industries, and it is the seat of the University of Ulm. Internationally, the city is primarily known for having the church with the tallest steeple in the world (161.53 m or 529.95 ft), the Gothic minster (Ulm Minster, German: Ulmer Münster), and as the birthplace of Albert Einstein.

Ulm lies at the point where the rivers Blau and Iller join the Danube, at an altitude of 479 m (1,571.52 ft) above sea level. Most parts of the city, including the old town, are situated on the left bank of the Danube; only the districts of Wiblingen, Gögglingen, Donaustetten and Unterweiler lie on the right bank. Across from the old town, on the other side of the river, lies the twin city of Neu-Ulm in the state of Bavaria, smaller than Ulm and, until 1810, a part of it (population c. 50,000).

Except for the Danube in the south, the city is surrounded by forests and hills which rise to altitudes of over 620 metres (2,034.12 feet), some of them part of the Swabian Alb. South of the Danube, plains and hills finally end in the northern edge of the Alps, which are approximately 100 kilometres (62 miles) from Ulm and are visible from the city on clear days.

The city of Ulm is situated in the northern part of the North Alpine Foreland basin, where the basin reaches the Swabian Alb. The Turritellenplatte of Ermingen ("Erminger Turritellenplatte") is a famous palaeontological site of Burdigalian age.

Sights include:
  • Ulm Minster (German: Ulmer Münster, built 1377-1891) with the world's highest church steeple (161.53 m (529.95 ft) high and 768 steps). Choir stalls by Jörg Syrlin the Elder (1469-1474), famous sculpture Schmerzensmann (Man of Sorrows) by Hans Multscher (1429).
  • The old Fischerviertel (fishermen's quarter) on the River Blau, with half-timbered houses, cobblestone streets, and picturesque footbridges. Interesting sights here are the Schiefes Haus Ulm (crooked house), a 16th-century house today used as a hotel, and the Alte Münz (Old Mint), a mediaeval building extended in the 16th and 17th centuries in Renaissance style.
  • The remaining section of the city walls, along the river, with the 14th-century Metzgerturm (butchers' tower) (36 m (118.11 ft) high).
  • The Rathaus (Town Hall), built in 1370, featuring some brilliantly coloured murals dating from the mid-16th century. On the gable is an astronomical clock dating from 1520. Restored after serious damage in 1944.
  • The Krone inn, a medieval complex of several houses (15th / 16th century, extensions from the 19th century), where German kings and emperors were accommodated during their travels.
  • Several large buildings from the late Middle Ages / renaissance used for various purposes (especially storage of food and weapons), e.g. Schwörhaus, Kornhaus, Salzstadel, Büchsenstadel, Zeughaus, Neuer Bau.
  • Ulm Federal Fortifications are the largest preserved fortifications and were built from 1842 to 1859 to protect from attacks by France.
  • The historic district Auf dem Kreuz, a residential area with many buildings from before 1700.
  • Wiblingen Abbey, a former benedictine abbey in the suburb of Wiblingen in the south of Ulm. The church shows characteristics of late baroque and early classicism. Its library is a masterpiece of rococo.
  • Building of the Ulm School of Design, an important school of design (1953-1968) in the succession of the Bauhaus.
  • Stadthaus, a house for public events built by Richard Meier, directly adjacent to the minster.
  • Stadtbibliothek, the building of the public library of Ulm was erected by Gottfried Böhm in the form of a glass pyramid and is situated directly adjacent to the town hall.
  • Weishaupt Art Gallery is the highlight in Ulm's New Centre'
  • The Weishaupt Art Gallery. The private Collection shows modern art from 1945 in an extraordinary surrounding.
  • Ulm Museum houses a significant collection of art and craftwork from the Middle Ages, the Löwenmensch figurine - a lion-headed figurine which is the oldest known human/animal shaped sculpture in the world - and various European and American art from the years after 1945. The museum has alternating exhibitions.
  • The Museum of Bread Culture offers a permanent exhibition about the history of grain, baking, milling and bread culture.
  • The exhibitions in the Danube Swabian Museum follow the varied history of the Danube Swabians (Donauschwaben) emigrants.
  • Albert Einstein Memorial - A small memorial at the site of the house where Albert Einstein was born in Bahnhofstraße, between the present-day newspaper offices and the bank. The house itself and the whole district were destroyed in the firebombing of 1944.
  • Memorial to Hans and Sophie Scholl - A small memorial on the Münsterplatz in memory of these two members of the Weiße Rose (White Rose, a resistance group opposed to the Nazi regime), who spent their youth in Ulm. Their family's house near the memorial was destroyed in the firebombing of 1944.
  • The Memorial to Deserters - Located near the University's botanical garden, it commemorates those who deserted from the Wehrmacht during World War II. It was originally erected on 9 September 1989, and was moved to its current location in July 2005. The Monument represents the idea: "Desertion is not reprehensible, war is".
  • The Botanischer Garten der Universitat Ulm, the university's botanical garden
  • Silo tower of the mill company Schapfenmühle (Schapfen Mill Tower)
  • Sender Ulm-Ermingen, television and radio tower
  • Medium wave transmission mast Ulm-Jungingen
  • FM and TV mast Ulm-Kuhberg
  • The Tiergarten Ulm, the zoo. It was opened in 1935, closed in 1944 and reopened in 1966.



leonedgaroldbury@yahoo.co.ukFeel free to Email me any additions or corrections


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