Ulm was a stopping-off place for us on our way back from Bavaria in late August, 2001. But when we got there, we found a comfortable city with a small-town feel. While Ulm is not a major tourist area, it is pleasant enough and worth a day’s visit. Albert Einstein was born in Ulm.

The most remarkable site in Ulm is the Ulm Münster, which has the tallest spire in Europe (according to Lonely Planet) or the world (according to the documentation at the cathedral). At any rate, it is tall, as you can see at right. The spire rises to 161 meters and you can climb almost to the top for a fantastic view of the surrounding area.

The Münster was started in 1377 and continued until 1530 when work was stopped due to the Lutheran Reformation. The cathedral was finally completed between 1844 and 1890 with the addition of the east and west towers and accompanying buttresses.

Five DM will earn you the privilege of climbing the west tower (the tall one shown at right). 392 steps later will find you just above the bells. From here, you get some great views of the town, river, and surrounding woods. At this level there is also a small gallery of pictures of the great cathedrals in the world. This makes a great diversion while you catch your breath before carrying on.

Another 168 step will get you to the base of the central spire (this is is far as Jim would go; bad knees). 

Anot her 208 step s (768 total) will get you to the tip of the narr ow spire (visible through the tree branches in the picture at the top of this page). You are now at 143 meters. From here, you are rewarded with a fantastic view of the area (below). At the base of the picture are the smaller eastern towers in the shadow of the Münster. The tower at the right has scaffolding around it for cleaning.

At the base of the Münster is a large open area used for the local market once a week. The day we were there, people were setting out chairs to sit and enjoy the view of the Münster.

As we walked around town, we found there were decorated bird statues everywhere. This reminded us of the horse statues in Aachen. In Ulm, birds are the theme and there were all kinds. Our favorites were the hanging bird under the bridge near the old town (above, right) and the “plumber” bird, complete with overalls and a plunger in his beak (left, with Verna). There was also one at the entrance to the cathedral decorated as a US war plane. Written on the side was “Please save the cathedral.” There was no mention in any of the documentation about damage to the cathedral during the war, so maybe it worked.

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