The Ulm division-- the heart of Swabia on Bavaria's border.
Though Bavaria boasts numerous towns that are well worth a visit, Neu-Ulm is the state’s only charming “half town.” The other half, Ulm, is located on the other side of the Danube River and has belonged to the state of Baden-Württemberg for nearly two centuries. This unusual division is Germany’s only remaining one since the country’s reunification, in 1989.First mentioned in AD 854— it was said to have been a fortress belonging to Ludwig the German called Hulma palatinum—and chartered in 1164, Ulm soon became one of the most prosperous towns in the region. In the 14th century, Ulm’s citizens ratified a nearly democratic constitution called the Grosser Schwörbrief, a document granting the individual rights of all craftsmen’s guilds. The Ulmer Münster (cathedral) bears impressive witness to the town’s great wealth in the Middle Ages. During the Thirty Years’ War, Ulm lost, and never regained, its importance as a mercantile power. Despite economic decline, the city, because of its advantageous location on the Danube, has always remained a town of special political interest. When, in 1810, Ulm, which had belonged to Bavaria since 1802, was ceded to Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria decided to found a new town directly across the Danube and call it Neu-Ulm (New Ulm). Both towns flourished until World War II, when 70 percent of Ulm and Neu-Ulm were bombed. Miraculously, the Ulmer Münster, along with a few historic buildings, remained unscathed.
In fact, the Ulmer Münster is probably Ulm’s most precious architectural gem. It is not only the world’s largest Protestant house of worship, but is also home to the highest church tower in the world (161.5 m). Construction of the Gothic cathedral began in 1377 and, after being forced to a halt in 1543 owing to a lack of funds, was finally completed four hundred years later, in 1890. Since then, the Münster has been in a state of permanent disrepair. The city of Ulm is currently struggling to raise 10 million euros in order to save the south tower from eroding away.
It is, however, not only the cathedral’s mammoth size and the centuries needed for its completion that make the Münster an exceptional building. The cathedral also houses magnificent works of 15th-century art, including Hans Mutschler’s Schmerzensmann (Man of Sorrows, 1429) and ornately carved wooden choir stalls (1470) designed by Jörg Syrlin the Elder. The carvings strikingly depict ancient poets and philosophers as well as Christian prophets and apostles. The Münster is open daily from 9 am to 4:45 pm. For a detailed program of organ and other concerts performed there, see www.muenster-ulm.de .
If you climb the 768 stairs of the church tower on a clear day, you will be rewarded with a splendid view of the city, the Schwäbische Alb and even the Zugspitze. Beware, however, of ascending the copious steps in winter, as Ulm can be foggy and, at the end of your strenuous climb for a fee of € 2.50, you may see nothing but a vacuous white wall.
The white, postmodern Stadthaus glistens in perfect contrast to the dark Gothic monument. It took 105 years, 17 competitions and countless heated discussions before Ulm reached the decision to allow a building to be constructed that would close off the square in front of the Münster. New York star architect Richard Meier was given a free hand to build upon “one of Germany’s most sacred grounds,” which Ulm has often been referred. The architect, who also designed the Museum of Contemporary Art in Barcelona (1995) and the Los Angeles Getty Center (1997), has received world acclaim for his design in Ulm. Since it opened in 1993, the geometric, three-story pavilion has caught viewers’ eyes in spite of its gigantic neighbor. The Stadthaus features a permanent exhibition that explores the history of the Münster Square and offers art and music programs (www.stadthaus.ulm.de). A lively atmosphere can always be found in the Stadthaus’s ground-floor café. In fact, the café makes a rather unusual offer: a free meal and drink goes to anyone who voluntarily and spontaneously plays a musical instrument for the guests (starting daily at 7 pm).
Ulm’s Town Hall, which stands directly behind the Stadthaus, is considered to be one of the most beautiful in southern Germany. Its façade is decorated with intricate paintings that symbolize human virtue and vice. An astronomic clock, dating from 1520, adorns the splendid west façade. Behind the city hall, on the Marktplatz (marketplace), visitors may admire the fountain “Fischkastenbrunnen,” designed by Jörg Syrlin the Elder in 1482. In earlier times, it served as natural refrigeration for Ulm’s fishmongers. Today, a farmers’ market is held every Saturday on the marketplace.
If you continue southwest from here on the Neue Strasse toward Weinhof and the Schwörhausgasse, you will enter the Fischer- und Gerberviertel (Fishermen’s and Tanners’ Quarter), a district in which rows of half-timbered houses recall daily life in the 16th and 17th centuries. It is here, where the small Blau River meets the Danube, that the Schwörhaus (1613) was erected. On Schwörmontag (oath Monday), an annual celebration held each summer (the next one will take place on Monday, July 27, 2002), Ulm’s mayor symbolically takes a solemn oath, in keeping with tradition. After the bell (Schwörglocke ) sounds, the mayor, standing on the balcony of the Schwörhaus, promises “den Armen und den Reichen ein gemeiner Mann zu sein, in allen gleichen, gemeinnützigen und redlichen Dingen” (to be a common man to the poor and rich alike, in all matters equal, communal and honest). This part of the city, with its small, crooked alleyways, has grown into a colorful district with galleries and restaurants. The Fischerzunfthaus (fishermen’s guildhall), now housing a two-story restaurant that serves delicious Swabian specialties, including Käsespätzle (cheese dumplings), Maultaschen (stuffed noodles) and Bubespitzle (fried dumplings), offers a rustic atmosphere. Though you can see Bavaria standing from the window of this restaurant, the waiters here speak in a heavy Swabian dialect. It is quite amazing that only a one-and-a-half-hour drive away from Munich a dialect is spoken that is in no way related to Bay’risch or Münchnerisch . In fact, dialect-speaking Bavarians and Swabians have a hard time understanding each other.
Following a hearty lunch, take a walk along the historic city wall, which follows the Danube past the Metzgerturm (Butchers’ Tower), the former jail. Nearby is the leaning tower, the “Schiefer Turm,” built in 1345.
The Zeughaus stands on the opposite side of the city center in the Zeughausgasse, hidden between modern buildings. First mentioned in 1433, this complex was extended during the 16th and 17th centuries and served as an arsenal. Particularly interesting are its portals, which are ornamented with Baroque and Renaissance motifs. A bust of Albert Einstein, Ulm’s most famous son, decorates the entrance to the Zeughaus. The discoverer of the theory of relativity and Nobel Prize winner was born in Ulm in 1875. The house in which he was born, on Bahnhofstrasse, was regrettably destroyed in World War II.
Another curiosity of Ulm is its Bread Museum. Video installations and dioramas document the 8,000-year cultural and social history of bread. There you will see ovens, guild signs, stamps and selected works by Marc Chagall, Pablo Picasso and Berlin artist Käthe Kollwitz. All objects on display are directly connected to grain, its cultivation and trade and to the staple itself. In this context, it is essential to mention the Swabian Brezl (pretzel). In contrast to its Bavarian counterpart, the Swabian Brezl is thicker and richer in taste. As Swabian legend has it, the Brezl was invented when the count of Urach gave a baker, who was sentenced to death, a chance to save his life. If the criminal could bake a bread through which the sun could shine three times he would be spared. Fortunately for us, the baker came up with the delicious doughy treat, which is said to bring good fortune and blessings to the home in which it is eaten or baked. No visitor should leave without having savored one.
Several small towns, including Wiblingen, Laupheim and Ehingen, are within minutes of Ulm. These form the starting point of the Schwäbische Barockstrasse (Swabian Baroque way) and offer further interesting sights. Wiblingen monastery, only 5 km away from the city center, can be conveniently included in a day trip to Ulm. Designed in the late Baroque period, the church was remodeled in the Neoclassical style by architect H. J. Wörner and completed in 1781. Claims to the monastery’s fame are its celebrated ceiling frescoes, by Januarius Zick, and its library, one of southern Germany’s most treasured Rococo gems. With its 32 rhythmically placed green and pink columns supporting a gallery and its grand trompe l’oeil ceiling fresco, the library is a glorious marriage of color and movement.
Ulm retains its charm, even in the chill of winter. During the weeks prior to December 23, the Münsterplatz Christmas Market bustles with people in holiday spirits buying ornaments and presents and drinking mulled wine. Perhaps that is the reason why the citizens of Ulm chose the cheerful Spatz (sparrow)—a species of bird that remains at home during the winter months—as their town symbol. Or, maybe it is because of a century-old legend that explains why the largest sparrow in the city takes the form of a sculpture perched atop the Münster’s roof. According to it, a sparrow with a straw in its beak taught the early builders of the cathedral the best way to carry the beams through the city gate.
HOW TO GET THERE:
>>>By car: A8 to Ulm.
>>>By TRAIN: Twice hourly train service from Munich.
About 1 hour 15 minutes.
>>>Tourist Information:
Ulm/Neu-Ulm Tourimuszentrale (UNT)
Tel.: 07 31 / 161 28 40
Fax: 07 31 / 161 16 46
www.tourismus.ulm.de
