Ulm () is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

in the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...

, situated on the river

Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...

on the border with

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...

. The city, which has an estimated population of more than 126,000 (2018), forms an urban district of its own (german: link=no, 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 In the Holy Roman Empire, the collective term free and imperial cities (german: Freie und Reichsstädte), briefly worded free imperial city (', la, urbs imperialis libera), was used from the fifteenth century to denote a self-ruling city that ...

(german: link=no, freie Reichsstadt). The neighbouring town of

Neu-Ulm Neu-Ulm (Swabian: ''Nej-Ulm'') is the capital of the Neu-Ulm district and a town in Swabia, Bavaria. Neighbouring towns include Ulm, Senden, Pfaffenhofen an der Roth, Holzheim, Nersingen and Elchingen. The population is 58,978 (31 December ...

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 (), the Gothic minster ( Ulm Minster, German: Ulmer Münster), and as the birthplace of

Albert Einstein Albert Einstein ( ; ; 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist, widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest and most influential physicists of all time. Einstein is best known for developing the theor ...

Geography

Ulm lies at the point where the rivers Blau and

Iller The Iller (; ancient name Ilargus) is a river of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg in Germany. It is a right tributary of the Danube, long. It is formed at the confluence of the rivers Breitach, Stillach and Trettach near Oberstdorf in the Allg ...

join the

, at an altitude of

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance ( height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as '' orthometric heights''. Th ...

. Most parts of the city, including the old town, are situated on the northern bank of the Danube; only the districts of Wiblingen, Gögglingen, Donaustetten and Unterweiler lie on the southern bank. Across from the old town, on the other side of the river, lies the twin city of

in the state of

, 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 , some of them part of the

Swabian Alb The Swabian Jura (german: Schwäbische Alb , more rarely ), sometimes also named Swabian Alps in English, is a mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, extending from southwest to northeast and in width. It is named after the region of ...

. South of the Danube, plains and hills finally end in the northern edge of the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...

, which are approximately 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 A foreland basin is a structural basin that develops adjacent and parallel to a mountain belt. Foreland basins form because the immense mass created by crustal thickening associated with the evolution of a mountain belt causes the lithosphere ...

, where the basin reaches the

. The

Turritellenplatte The Turritellenplatte of Ermingen ("Erminger Turritellenplatte" near Ulm, Germany) is a type of very rich, fossil-bearing rock which is of particular interest to geologists and paleontologists. It occurs in a very restricted outcrop and is protecte ...

of Ermingen ("Erminger Turritellenplatte") is a famous palaeontological site of

Burdigalian The Burdigalian is, in the geologic timescale, an age or stage in the early Miocene. It spans the time between 20.43 ± 0.05 Ma and 15.97 ± 0.05 Ma (million years ago). Preceded by the Aquitanian, the Burdigalian was the first and longest w ...

age.

Neighboring communes

On the right (south-eastern) side of Danube and Iller there is the Bavarian district town

. On the left (north-western) side Ulm is almost completely surrounded by the Alb-Danube district. The neighbouring communes of Baden-Württemberg are the following:

Illerkirchberg Illerkirchberg is a town in the district of Alb-Donau in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. Unterkirchberg (Lower Kirchberg) had a Roman castrum built around 40 AD as part of the Upper Germanic-Rhaetian Limes to secure the street along the south ...

Staig Staig is a municipality in the district of Alb-Donau in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. The community belongs to the Gemeindeverwaltungsverband-Kirchberg Weihungstal with headquarter in Illerkirchberg. Geography Staig is located on the plateau ...

Hüttisheim Hüttisheim is a municipality in the district of Alb-Donau in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. The municipality is a member of the local government association Kirchberg Weihungstal headquartered in Illerkirchberg. Geography Hüttisheim lies be ...

, Erbach (Donau),

Blaubeuren Blaubeuren () is a town in the district of Alb-Donau near Ulm in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. it had 11,963 inhabitants. Geography Geographical location The core city Blaubeuren lies at the foot of the Swabian Jura, west of Ulm. Neighborin ...

Blaustein Blaustein () is a town in the district of Alb-Donau Baden-Württemberg in Germany. It is situated on the Blau River, 6 km west of Ulm and has about 15,000 inhabitants. Before 1968, Blaustein was known as Herrlingen. It was created in 19 ...

, Dornstadt, Beimerstetten and Langenau as well as the eastern neighbouring community Elchingen.

Town subdivisions

The city is divided into 18 districts (german: Stadtteile): Ulm-Mitte, Böfingen, Donaustetten, Donautal, Eggingen, Einsingen, Ermingen, Eselsberg, Gögglingen, Grimmelfingen, Jungingen, Lehr, Mähringen, Oststadt, Söflingen (with Harthausen), Unterweiler, Weststadt, and Wiblingen. Nine districts were integrated during the latest municipality reform in the 1970s: Eggingen, Einsingen, Ermingen, Gögglingen-Donaustetten, Jungingen, Lehr, Mähringen und Unterweiler. They have their own local councils which acquire an important consulting position to the whole city council concerning issues that are related to the prevailing districts. But at the end, final decisions can only be made by the city council of the entire city of Ulm.

History

The oldest traceable settlement of the Ulm area began in the early

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several pa ...

period, around 5000 BC. Settlements of this time have been identified at the villages of Eggingen and Lehr, today districts of the city. In the city area of Ulm proper, the oldest find dates from the late Neolithic period. The earliest written mention of Ulm is dated 22 July 854 AD, when King Louis of the Germans signed a document in the King's palace of "Hulma" in the

Duchy of Swabia The Duchy of Swabia (German: ''Herzogtum Schwaben'') was one of the five stem duchies of the medieval German Kingdom. It arose in the 10th century in the southwestern area that had been settled by Alemanni tribes in Late Antiquity. While the ...

. The city was declared an

Imperial City In the Holy Roman Empire, the collective term free and imperial cities (german: Freie und Reichsstädte), briefly worded free imperial city (', la, urbs imperialis libera), was used from the fifteenth century to denote a self-ruling city that ...

(german: link=no, Reichsstadt) by Friedrich Barbarossa in 1181. At first, Ulm's significance was due to the privilege of a '' Königspfalz'', a place of accommodation for the medieval German kings and emperors on their frequent travels. Later, Ulm became a city of traders and craftsmen. One of the most important legal documents of the city, an agreement between the Ulm patricians and the trade guilds (german: link=no, Großer Schwörbrief), dates from 1397. This document, considered an early city constitution, and the beginning of the construction of an enormous church ( Ulm Minster, 1377), financed by the inhabitants of Ulm themselves rather than by the church, demonstrate the assertiveness of Ulm's medieval citizens. Ulm blossomed during the 15th and 16th centuries, mostly due to the export of high-quality textiles. The city was situated at the crossroads of important trade routes extending to Italy. These centuries, during which many important buildings were erected, also represented the zenith of art in Ulm, especially for painters and sculptors like

Hans Multscher Hans Multscher (ca. 1400–1467) was a German sculptor and painter. Multscher was born in Reichenhofen (today Leutkirch im Allgäu). He made himself acquainted with new artistic styles from northern France and the Netherlands, and became a fre ...

and

Jörg Syrlin the Elder Jörg Syrlin the Elder (c. 1425 in Ulm – 1491 in Ulm) was a German sculptor who is considered part of the Ulm school. After his death his son Jörg Syrlin the Younger took over command of his workshop. His best known works are the carving ...

. During the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

, Ulm became Protestant (1530). With the establishment of new trade routes following the discovery of the

New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. ...

(16th century) and the outbreak and consequences of the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of batt ...

(1618–1648), the city began to decline gradually. During the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...

(1701–1714), it was alternately invaded several times by French and

n soldiers. Charles Thévenin - Reddition de la ville d'Ulm

In the wars following the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

, the city was alternately occupied by French and Austrian forces, with the former ones destroying the city fortifications. In 1803, it lost the status of Imperial City and was absorbed into

. During the campaign of 1805,

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

managed to trap the invading Austrian army of General Mack and forced it to surrender in the

Battle of Ulm The Battle of Ulm on 16–19 October 1805 was a series of skirmishes, at the end of the Ulm Campaign, which allowed Napoleon I to trap an entire Austrian army under the command of Karl Freiherr Mack von Leiberich with minimal losses and to f ...

. In 1810, Ulm was incorporated into the

Kingdom of Württemberg The Kingdom of Württemberg (german: Königreich Württemberg ) was a German state that existed from 1805 to 1918, located within the area that is now Baden-Württemberg. The kingdom was a continuation of the Duchy of Württemberg, which existe ...

and lost its districts on the other bank of the Danube, which came to be known as

(New Ulm). In the mid-19th century, the city was designated a fortress of the

German Confederation The German Confederation (german: Deutscher Bund, ) was an association of 39 predominantly German-speaking sovereign states in Central Europe. It was created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 as a replacement of the former Holy Roman Empire, w ...

with huge military construction works directed primarily against the threat of a French invasion. The city became an important centre of industrialisation in southern Germany in the second half of the 19th century, its built-up area now being extended beyond the medieval walls. The construction of the huge minster, which had been interrupted in the 16th century for economic reasons, was resumed and eventually finished (1844–1891) in a wave of German national enthusiasm for the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

. From 1933 to 1935, a

concentration camp Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simpl ...

primarily for political opponents of the regime was established on the Kuhberg, one of the hills surrounding Ulm. The Jews of Ulm, around 500 people, were first discriminated against and later persecuted; their synagogue was torn down during in November 1938. Of 116 Jews deported from Ulm during World War II (45 were sent to

Theresienstadt Theresienstadt Ghetto was established by the SS during World War II in the fortress town of Terezín, in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia ( German-occupied Czechoslovakia). Theresienstadt served as a waystation to the extermination ca ...

on 22 August 1942), only four returned. Approximately 25 Jews were living in Ulm in 1968. The sole RAF

strategic bombing during World War II World War II (1939–1945) involved sustained strategic bombing of railways, harbours, cities, workers' and civilian housing, and industrial districts in enemy territory. Strategic bombing as a military strategy is distinct both from close ...

against Ulm occurred on 17 December 1944, against the two large lorry factories of Magirus-Deutz and Kässbohrer, as well as other industries, barracks, and depots in Ulm. The Gallwitz Barracks and several military hospitals were among 14

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...

establishments destroyed. The raid killed 707 Ulm inhabitants and left 25,000 homeless and after all the bombings, over 80% of the medieval city centre lay in ruins. Most of the city was rebuilt in the plain and simple style of the 1950s and 1960s, but some of the historic landmark buildings have been restored. Due to its almost complete destruction in 1944, the Hirschstraße part of the city primarily consists of modern architecture. Ulm experienced substantial growth in the decades following World War II, with the establishment of large new housing projects and new industrial zones. In 1967,

Ulm University Ulm University (german: Universität Ulm) is a public university in Ulm, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The university was founded in 1967 and focuses on natural sciences, medicine, engineering sciences, mathematics, economics and computer scie ...

was founded, which proved to be of great importance for the development of the city. Particularly since the 1980s, the transition from classical industry towards the high-tech sector has accelerated, with, for example, the establishment of research centres of companies like Daimler,

Siemens Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational conglomerate corporation and the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe headquartered in Munich with branch offices abroad. The principal divisions of the corporation are ''Industry'', ''E ...

and

Nokia Nokia Corporation (natively Nokia Oyj, referred to as Nokia) is a Finnish multinational telecommunications, information technology, and consumer electronics corporation, established in 1865. Nokia's main headquarters are in Espoo, Finland, i ...

and a number of small applied research institutes near the university campus. The city today is still growing, forming a twin city of 170,000 inhabitants together with its neighbouring Bavarian city of

, and seems to benefit from its central position between the cities of

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the Sw ...

and

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and ...

and thus between the cultural and economic hubs of southern Germany.

Demographics

Economy

The city has very old trading traditions dating from medieval times and a long history of industrialisation, beginning with the establishment of a railway station in 1850. The most important sector is still classical industry (machinery, especially motor vehicles;

electronics The field of electronics is a branch of physics and electrical engineering that deals with the emission, behaviour and effects of electrons using electronic devices. Electronics uses active devices to control electron flow by amplification ...

;

pharmaceuticals A medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy ( pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the medical field and re ...

). The establishment of the University of Ulm in 1967, which focuses on

biomedicine Biomedicine (also referred to as Western medicine, mainstream medicine or conventional medicine)

, the sciences, and engineering, helped support a transition to high-tech industry, especially after the crisis of classical industries in the 1980s. Companies with headquarters in Ulm include: * Britax (child safety products) European headquarters in nearby Leipheim * (book printing) * Gardena AG (gardening tools) * H. Krieghoff GmbH (weapons for hunting and sports since 1886) * Iveco Magirus AG * J. G. Anschütz (firearms for sports and hunting) *

Liqui Moly Liqui Moly GmbH is a German company specializing in oils, lubricants and additives. As of January 1, 2018, Liqui Moly is part of the Würth Group which bought the remaining shares of the previous majority holder and CEO Ernst Prost. He now is t ...

(additives, oils, car care products) * Müller Ltd. & Co. KG (major German trade company) *

Ratiopharm Ratiopharm is a German pharmaceutical company that is Europe's leading generics brand. Ratiopharm was owned by Adolf Merckle and makes generic pharmaceuticals. They are based in Ulm, Germany, with products being distributed in over 35 countries ...

(

) * (dried fruits, coffee, tea) * Uzin Utz AG (construction materials) *

Walther Arms Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen (), or simply known as Walther, is a German firearm manufacturer, and a subsidiary of the PW Group. Founded by Carl Walther in 1886, the company has manufactured firearms and air guns at its facility in Germany fo ...

(fire arms, especially pistols) * Wieland Group (non-ferrous semi-finished products) *

Zwick Roell Group The Zwick Roell Group is a manufacturer of static testing machines and systems for materials and components testing used to evaluate the mechanical and physical properties and performance of materials and components. Core static tests carried o ...

www.zwick.de (Materials Testing Machines) Companies with important sites in Ulm include: *

AEG Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft AG (AEG; ) was a German producer of electrical equipment founded in Berlin as the ''Deutsche Edison-Gesellschaft für angewandte Elektricität'' in 1883 by Emil Rathenau. During the Second World War, ...

Atmel Atmel Corporation was a creator and manufacturer of semiconductors before being subsumed by Microchip Technology in 2016. Atmel was founded in 1984. The company focused on embedded systems built around microcontrollers. Its products included mi ...

* BMW Car IT GmbH *

Continental AG Continental AG, commonly known as Continental or colloquially as Conti, is a German multinational automotive parts manufacturing company specializing in tires, brake systems, interior electronics, automotive safety, powertrain and chassis ...

* Daimler: Daimler Forschungszentrum (research centre) and Daimler TSS (car IT specialist) *

Deutsche Telekom AG Deutsche Telekom AG (; short form often just Telekom, DTAG or DT; stylised as ·T·) is a German telecommunications company that is headquartered in Bonn and is the largest telecommunications provider in Europe by revenue. Deutsche Telekom was ...

* Elektrobit Automotive GmbH *

EADS Airbus SE (; ; ; ) is a European multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace products worldwide and manufactures aircraft throughout the world. The company has three divisions: '' ...

, European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company * Nokia Networks * Nuance Communications Speech Recognition (research departments) * Siemens AG * Harman International Industries

Ecology

In 2007 the City of Ulm was awarded the European Energy Award for its remarkable local energy management and its efforts to combat climate change. Examples of these efforts are a

biomass Biomass is plant-based material used as a fuel for heat or electricity production. It can be in the form of wood, wood residues, energy crops, agricultural residues, and waste from industry, farms, and households. Some people use the terms bio ...

power plant operated by the ''Fernwärme Ulm GmbH'' (10 MW electrical output), and the world's biggest

passive house "Passive house" (german: Passivhaus) is a voluntary standard for energy efficiency in a building, which reduces the building's ecological footprint. It results in ultra-low energy buildings that require little energy for space heating or coo ...

office building, the so-called ''Energon'', located in the "Science City" near the university campus. Moreover, the city of Ulm boasts the second largest

solar power Solar power is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV) or indirectly using concentrated solar power. Photovoltaic cells convert light into an electric current using the photovolta ...

production in Germany. For all new buildings, a strict energy standard (German KFW40 standard) has been mandatory since April 2008. Ulm Minster has been fully powered by renewables since January 2008. Until the end of 2011 as a European pilot project a self-sustaining data-centre will be constructed in the west-city of Ulm. There is a solar-powered ferry that crosses the Danube 7 days a week in summer. The "Bündnis 100% Erneuerbare Energien" was founded in February 2010 with the aim of bringing together the people and organisations seeking to promote the transition to

100% renewable energy 100% renewable energy means getting all energy from renewable resources. The endeavor to use 100% renewable energy for electricity, heating, cooling and transport is motivated by climate change, pollution and other environmental issue ...

in Ulm and Neu-Ulm by 2030.

Transportation

Ulm is situated at the crossroads of the A8 motorway (connecting the principal cities of southern Germany,

and

), and the A7 motorway (one of the motorways running from northern to southern Europe). The city's railway station is served, among other lines, by one of the European train routes (Paris –

Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label= Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label= Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the ...

–

– Ulm –

–

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

–

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population o ...

). Direct connections to

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...

are also available. Ulm's public transport system is based on several bus lines and two tram lines. Several streets in the old town are for the use of pedestrians and cyclists only. Ulm was the first area to be served by the

Daimler AG The Mercedes-Benz Group AG (previously named Daimler-Benz, DaimlerChrysler and Daimler) is a German multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is one of the world's leading car manufactu ...

Car2Go Share Now GmbH is a German carsharing company, formed from the merger of Car2Go and DriveNow. Since 2022, it is a subsidiary of the Free2Move division of multinational automaker Stellantis providing carsharing services in urban areas in Europe, ...

carsharing Carsharing or car sharing (AU, NZ, CA, TH, & US) or car clubs (UK) is a model of car rental where people rent cars for short periods of time, often by the hour. It differs from traditional car rental in that the owners of the cars are often pr ...

service in 2008. However, the service in Ulm was discontinued at the end of 2014.

Education and culture

The University of Ulm was founded in 1967 and focuses on the sciences, medicine, engineering, and mathematics / economics. With about 10,000 students, it is one of the smaller universities in Germany. Ulm is also the seat of the city's University of Applied Sciences (german: link=no, Fachhochschule), founded in 1960 as a public school of engineering. The school also houses numerous students from around the world as part of an international study abroad programme. In 1953, Inge Aicher-Scholl,

Otl Aicher Otto "Otl" Aicher (; 13 May 1922 – 1 September 1991) was a German graphic designer and typographer. Aicher co-founded and taught at the influential Ulm School of Design. He is known for having led the design team of the 1972 Summer Olympic ...

and

Max Bill Max Bill (22 December 1908 – 9 December 1994) was a Swiss architect, artist, painter, typeface designer, industrial designer and graphic designer. Early life and education Bill was born in Winterthur. After an apprenticeship as a silversmit ...

founded the Ulm School of Design (German: Hochschule für Gestaltung – HfG Ulm), a design school in the tradition of the

Bauhaus The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the Bauhaus (), was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., 20 ...

, which was, however, closed in 1968. Ulm's public library features over 480,000 print media. The city has a public theatre with drama, opera and ballet, several small theatres, and a professional philharmonic orchestra.

Sport

* SSV Ulm 1846, multi-sports club, former football Bundesliga club, now Regionalliga Süd * Ratiopharm Ulm, basketball club,

Basketball Bundesliga The Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) ( English language: ''Federal Basketball League''), for sponsorship reasons named easyCredit BBL, is the highest level league of professional club basketball in Germany. The league comprises 18 teams. A BBL seas ...

Sights

Historic

* Ulm Minster (German: , built 1377–1891) with the world's highest church

steeple In architecture, a steeple is a tall tower on a building, topped by a spire and often incorporating a belfry and other components. Steeples are very common on Christian churches and cathedrals and the use of the term generally connotes a religi ...

( high and 768 steps). Choir stalls by Jörg Syrlin the Elder (1469–1474), famous sculpture ( Man of Sorrows) by Hans Multscher (1429). * The old (fishermen's quarter) on the River Blau, with half-timbered houses, cobblestone streets, and picturesque footbridges. Interesting sights here are the (crooked house), a 16th-century house today used as a hotel, and the (Old Mint), a mediaeval building extended in the 16th and 17th centuries in

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...

style. * The remaining section of the city walls, along the river, with the 14th-century (butchers' tower) ( high). * The (

Town Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

), 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. Photos of the can be seen at Tripadvisor. * The 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. . * Ulm Federal Fortifications are the largest preserved fortifications and were built from 1842 to 1859 to protect from attacks by France. * The historic district , a residential area with many buildings from before 1700. * Wiblingen Abbey, a former

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

abbey in the suburb of Wiblingen in the south of Ulm. The church shows characteristics of late

baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including ...

and early

classicism Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for a classical period, classical antiquity in the Western tradition, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. In its purest form, classicism is an aesthet ...

. Its library is a masterpiece of

rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

Contemporary

* Building of the Ulm School of Design (German: – HfG Ulm), an important school of design (1953–1968) in the succession of the

. * , a house for public events built by

Richard Meier Richard Meier (born October 12, 1934) is an American abstract artist and architect, whose geometric designs make prominent use of the color white. A winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1984, Meier has designed several iconic buildings ...

, directly adjacent to the minster. * , the building of the

public library A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also civil servants. There are five fundamen ...

of Ulm was erected by

Gottfried Böhm Gottfried Böhm (; 23 January 1920 – 9 June 2021) was a German architect and sculptor. His reputation is based on creating highly sculptural buildings made of concrete, steel, and glass. Böhm's first independent building was the Cologne ...

in the form of a glass pyramid and is situated directly adjacent to the town hall. * Kunsthalle Weishaupt is the highlight in Ulm's New Centre.

Museums

* The Kunsthalle Weishaupt. The private Collection shows modern art from 1945. * Ulm Museum houses a significant collection of art and craftwork from the Middle Ages, the Löwenmensch figurine – a 40,000-year-old 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 offers a permanent exhibition about the history of grain, baking, milling and bread culture. * The exhibitions in the follow the varied history of the Danube Swabians (Donauschwaben) emigrants.

Memorials

* Albert Einstein Memorial – A small memorial at the site of the house where

was born in , 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 Hans may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Hans (name), a masculine given name * Hans Raj Hans, Indian singer and politician ** Navraj Hans, Indian singer, actor, entrepreneur, cricket player and performer, son of Hans Raj Hans ** Yuvraj Hans, Punjab ...

and Sophie Scholl – A small memorial on the Münsterplatz in memory of these two members of the (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 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".

Other landmarks

* The , the university's

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

* Silo tower of the mill company (

Schapfen Mill Tower The Schapfen-Mill-Tower is a tall silo tower near Ulm, Germany. Schapfen-Mill-Tower started construction in 2004 and was completed in 2005. It was the tallest operational grain elevator for a time following the demolition of Henninger Turm in ...

) * , television and radio tower * Medium wave transmission mast Ulm-Jungingen * FM and TV mast Ulm-Kuhberg * The Ulm, the zoo. It was opened in 1935, closed in 1944 and reopened in 1966.

Notable people

Born in Ulm

(1922–1991), graphic designer, co-founder of Ulm School of Design, (German: Hochschule für Gestaltung – HfG Ulm), and creator of

Rotis Rotis is a typeface developed in 1988 by Otl Aicher, a German graphic designer and typographer. In Rotis, Aicher explores an attempt at maximum legibility through a highly unified yet varied typeface family that ranges from full serif, glyphic, a ...

font * Ernst Bauer (1917–1991), resistance fighter and publisher *

Max Bentele Max Bentele (January 15, 1909 – May 19, 2006) was a German-born pioneer in the field of jet aircraft turbines and mechanical engineering. His contributions to the development of the Wankel engine earned him the title, "Father of the Wankel Engi ...

(1909–2006), mechanical engineer, jet-engine pioneer, father of the Wankel rotary engine * Albrecht Berblinger (1770–1829), flight pioneer * Dieter Braun (b. 1943),

Motorcycle Grand Prix Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the premier class of motorcycle road racing events held on road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held since the start of ...

racer * Hermann Duckek (1936–2001), riding master and Olympic equestrian arena designer Albert Einstein as a child

(1879–1955), physicist, philosopher, scientist,

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

-winner *

Jerome Emser Jerome (or Hieronymus) Emser (March 20, 1477 – November 8, 1527), German theologian and antagonist of Luther, was born of a good family at Ulm. He studied Greek at Tübingen and jurisprudence at Basel, and after acting for three years as chapla ...

(1477–1527), a German theologian and antagonist of Luther. * Helmut Ensslin (1909–1984), Protestant parson and father of RAF-member Gudrun Ensslin *

Anna Essinger Anna Essinger (15 September 1879 – 30 May 1960) was a German Jewish educator. At the age of 20, she went to finish her education in the United States, where she encountered Quakers and was greatly influenced by their attitudes, adopting them fo ...

(1879–1960) educator; co-founder and headmistress of

Bunce Court School The Bunce Court School was an independent, private boarding school in the village of Otterden, in Kent, England. It was founded in 1933 by Anna Essinger, who had previously founded a boarding school, Landschulheim Herrlingen in the south of Ger ...

* Johann Faulhaber (1580–1635), mathematician, inventor of Faulhaber's formula. * Nikolaus Federmann (1505–1542), adventurer and conquistador in modern-day

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

and

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the ...

, co-founder of

Santafé de Bogotá Santa Fe (Spanish; 'holy faith') or Santa Fé (Portuguese; 'holy faith') may refer to: Places Argentina *Santa Fe, Argentina **Santa Fe Province Bolivia * Santa Fe de Yapacaní * Santa Fe (Oruro) Brazil *Bonito de Santa Fé * Santa Fé de Goiá ...

* Johann Freinsheim (1608–1660), a German classical scholar and critic. *

Eugen Haile Eugen Haile (February 21, 1873 – August 14, 1933) was a German-American composer, singer, and accompanist, primarily known for his songs."Haile, Eugen." ''Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians''. 8th ed. New York: Schirmer Books, 2001. In ...

(1873–1933), composer, singer and accompanist * Fritz Hartnagel (1917–2001), officer and jurist, fiancé of Sophie Scholl * Hellmut Hattler (b. 1952) jazz and rock bass player ( Kraan) * Max Hattler (b. 1976) artist and film-maker * Johann Christoph Heilbronner (1706–c.1747) mathematical historian * Leo Hepp (1907–1987), officer of the Wehrmacht and General of the Bundeswehr *

Dieter Hoeneß Dieter Hoeneß (born 7 January 1953) is a German former professional football player and executive. A forward in his playing career, Hoeneß was mainly associated with Bayern Munich. After retiring, he stayed connected with football, working ex ...

(b. 1953), former football player, former general manager of

Hertha BSC Hertha, Berliner Sport-Club e. V., commonly known as Hertha BSC (), and sometimes referred to as Hertha Berlin, Hertha BSC Berlin, or simply Hertha, is a German professional football club based in the locality of Westend of the borough of Charlo ...

and VfL Wolfsburg football club * Uli Hoeneß (b. 1952), former football player, president of

Bayern Munich Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), also known as FC Bayern (), Bayern Munich, or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional men's football team, which pla ...

football club *

Annemarie Huste Annemarie Huste (1943–2016) was a German-American chef who worked for, amongst others, as private chef to Jacqueline Kennedy between 1964 and 1968. She subsequently worked as an executive chef and a cookbook author. Early life Annemarie Hu ...

(1943–2016), chef to Jackie Kennedy, executive chef Gourmet Magazine, author of 6 cookbooks * Otto Kässbohrer (1904–1989), entrepreneur and constructor * Karl Kimmich (1880–1945), banker * Hildegard Knef (1925–2002), actress, singer and writer * Mike Krüger (b. 1951) comedian, actor and singer * Hellmuth Laegeler (1902–1972), major general in the Wehrmacht * Hans Maler zu Schwaz (1480/1488 – 1526/1529) painter, active as portraitist at Schwaz near Innsbruck. *

Erwin Piscator Erwin Friedrich Maximilian Piscator (17 December 1893 – 30 March 1966) was a German theatre director and producer. Along with Bertolt Brecht, he was the foremost exponent of epic theatre, a form that emphasizes the socio-political content o ...

(1893–1966), theatre director and innovator * Sam Rosen (b. 1947) an American sportscaster (

MSG Network The MSG Network (MSG) is an American regional cable and satellite television network, and radio service owned by MSG Entertainment, Inc.—a spin-off of the main Madison Square Garden Company operation (itself a spin-off of local cable prov ...

) *

Claudia Roth Claudia Benedikta Roth (born 15 May 1955) is a German politician ( Alliance 90/The Greens). She was one of the two party chairs from 2004 to 2013 and previously served as one of the vice presidents of the ''Bundestag''. She is also currently se ...

(b. 1955), politician, chairman of the

German Green Party Alliance 90/The Greens (german: Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, ), often simply referred to as the Greens ( ), is a green political party in Germany. It was formed in 1993 as the merger of The Greens (formed in West Germany in 1980) and Alliance 90 ...

* Wilhelm Schuler (1914–2010), chemist, inventor and entrepreneur in the second half of the 20th century. * Katharina Sophia Volz (1987), a medical researcher and entrepreneur.

Otherwise associated with Ulm

(1908–1994), architect and artist, co-founder and director of the Ulm School of Design (German: – HfG Ulm) *

Robert Bosch Robert Bosch (23 September 1861 – 12 March 1942) was a German industrialist, engineer and inventor, founder of Robert Bosch GmbH. Biography Bosch was born in Albeck, a village to the northeast of Ulm in southern Germany as the eleventh of ...

(1861 in Albeck – 1942), industrialist, engineer and inventor, founder of

Robert Bosch GmbH Robert Bosch GmbH (; ), commonly known as Bosch and stylized as BOSCH, is a German multinational engineering and technology company headquartered in Gerlingen, Germany. The company was founded by Robert Bosch in Stuttgart in 1886. Bosc ...

. * (1450-1505), stonemason and master builder, helped construct Ulm Minster * Rene Descartes (1596–1650), philosopher, experienced a powerful vision near Ulm in 1619. * Ulrich Ensingen (1350/60 – 1419), master builder, helped construct Ulm Minster and Strasbourg Cathedral * Leonhard Hutter (1563 in Nellingen – 1616) a German Lutheran theologian. * Herbert von Karajan, (1908–1989), conductor,

Kapellmeister (, also , ) from German ''Kapelle'' (chapel) and ''Meister'' (master)'','' literally "master of the chapel choir" designates the leader of an ensemble of musicians. Originally used to refer to somebody in charge of music in a chapel, the term ha ...

in Ulm, 1929–1934. *

Johannes Kepler Johannes Kepler (; ; 27 December 1571 – 15 November 1630) was a German astronomer, mathematician, astrologer, natural philosopher and writer on music. He is a key figure in the 17th-century Scientific Revolution, best known for his laws ...

(1571–1630), a German mathematician, astronomer and astrologer; lived in Ulm * Gerhard Klopfer (1905–1987), senior official of the Nazi Party, SS General. Present at the Wannsee Conference; tax advisor and lawyer in Ulm postwar *

(ca.1400 – 1467 in Ulm), a German sculptor and painter. *

Erwin Rommel Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel () (15 November 1891 – 14 October 1944) was a German field marshal during World War II. Popularly known as the Desert Fox (, ), he served in the ''Wehrmacht'' (armed forces) of Nazi Germany, as well as servi ...

(1891 in Heidenheim – 1944 at Herrlingen) a German field marshal in WWII. *

Hans Scholl Hans Fritz Scholl (; 22 September 1918 – 22 February 1943) was, along with Alexander Schmorell, one of the two founding members of the White Rose resistance movement in Nazi Germany. The principal author of the resistance movement's ...

(1918–1943) & Sophie Scholl (1921–1943), founded the

White Rose The White Rose (german: Weiße Rose, ) was a Nonviolence, non-violent, intellectual German resistance to Nazism, resistance group in Nazi Germany which was led by five students (and one professor) at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, ...

, spent their youth in Ulm *

Carl Teike Carl Albert Hermann Teike (5 February 1864 – 28 May 1922) was a German composer who wrote over 100 military marches and twenty concert works. Biography Born the son of a blacksmith in Stettin-Altdamm, Pomerania, Teike was the fourth of ...

(1864–1922) , composed the military march ''

Alte Kameraden "" ("Old Comrades") is the title of a popular German military march. It is included in the ''Armeemarschsammlung'' as HM II, 150. History The march was written around 1889 in Ulm, Germany, by military music composer Carl Teike. Teike wrote man ...

'' in Ulm in 1889

International relations

Ulm is a member city of the

Eurotowns network Eurotowns is a network of medium-sized European cities with a population between 50,000 and 250,000 inhabitants. The organisation was founded in 1991. Its members include Avilés, Böblingen, Chelm, Detmold, Eskilstuna, Gävle, Girona, Haarlem, ...

. Ulm is officially not twinned. But there are relations with: * Arad, Romania * Baja, Hungary *

Bratislava Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approximately 140% of ...

, Slovakia *

, Hungary *

Cluj-Napoca ; hu, kincses város) , official_name=Cluj-Napoca , native_name= , image_skyline= , subdivision_type1 = Counties of Romania, County , subdivision_name1 = Cluj County , subdivision_type2 = Subdivisions of Romania, Status , subdivision_name2 ...

, Romania *

Jinotega Jinotega () (derived from Náhuatl: ''Xiotenko'' ‘place next to the jiñocuajo trees’) is the capital city of the Department of Jinotega in north-central Nicaragua. The city is located in a long valley surrounded by the cool climate and Da ...

, Nicaragua * Kladovo, Serbia *

New Ulm, Minnesota New Ulm is a city in Brown County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 14,120 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Brown County. It is located on the triangle of land formed by the confluence of the Minnesota River and the ...

, United States *

Novi Sad Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; hu, Újvidék, ; german: Neusatz; see below for other names) is the second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the P ...

, Serbia *

Sibiu Sibiu ( , , german: link=no, Hermannstadt , la, Cibinium, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Härmeschtat'', hu, Nagyszeben ) is a city in Romania, in the historical region of Transylvania. Located some north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Ci ...

, Romania *

Silistra Silistra ( bg, Силистра ; tr, Silistre; ro, Silistra) is a town in Northeastern Bulgaria. The town lies on the southern bank of the lower Danube river, and is also the part of the Romanian border where it stops following the Danube. Si ...

, Bulgaria *

Subotica Subotica ( sr-cyrl, Суботица, ; hu, Szabadka) is a city and the administrative center of the North Bačka District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. Formerly the largest city of Vojvodina region, contemporary Subotica i ...

, Serbia * Timișoara in Romania *

Tulcea Tulcea (; also known by other alternative names) is a city in Northern Dobruja, Romania. It is the administrative center of Tulcea County, and had a population of 73,707 . One village, Tudor Vladimirescu, is administered by the city. Names The ...

, Romania * Vidin, Bulgaria * Vukovar, Croatia

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Johannes Baier: ''Über die Tertiärbildungen im Ulmer Raum.'' In: ''Documenta Naturae.'' 168; München, 2008. .

External links

Official website of the city

Official Tourism Website of Ulm and Neu-Ulm

Official website of the University of Ulm

(in German) {{Authority control 1803 disestablishments States and territories established in 1181 Tübingen (region) Cities in Baden-Württemberg Populated places on the Danube Historic Jewish communities Holocaust locations in Germany Württemberg