Ulm (German pronunciation:[ʊlm]ⓘ) is the sixth-largest city of the southwestern Germanstate ofBaden-Württemberg, and with around 129,000 inhabitants, it is Germany's60th-largest city.
Ulm is located on the eastern edges of theSwabian Jura mountain range, on the upper course of theRiver Danube, at the confluence with the smallBlau Stream, coming from theBlautopf in the west. The mouth of theIller also falls within Ulm's city limits. The Danube forms the border withBavaria, where Ulm's twin cityNeu-Ulm lies. The city was part of Ulm until 1810, and Ulm and Neu-Ulm have a combined population of around 190,000. Ulm forms an urban district of its own (Stadtkreis Ulm), and is the administrative seat of theAlb-Donau-Kreis, the district that surrounds it on three sides, but which the city itself is not a part of. Ulm is the overall 11th-largestcity on the Danube River, and the third-largest German Danubian city afterRegensburg andIngolstadt.
In 1927, the then tiny village of Wiblingen was incorporated into Ulm, which led to thatWiblingen Abbey with its monastic library and its True Cross reliquary (Heilig-Kreuz-Reliquie), that allegedly contains wood particles from theTrue Cross, is now part of Ulm.
Ulm lies at the point where the riversBlau andIller join theDanube, 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 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 thetwin city ofNeu-Ulm in the state ofBavaria, 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 theSwabian Alb. South of the Danube, plains and hills finally end in the northern edge of theAlps, 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 AlpineForeland basin, where the basin reaches theSwabian Alb. TheTurritellenplatte of Ermingen ("Erminger Turritellenplatte") is a famous palaeontological site ofBurdigalian age.
The city is divided into 18 districts (German:Stadtteile [de]): 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.
The oldest traceable settlement of the Ulm area began in the earlyNeolithic 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 KingLouis the German signed a document in the King's palace of "Hulma" in theDuchy of Swabia.[3] The city was declared anImperial City (German:Reichsstadt) byFriedrich Barbarossa in 1181.
At first, Ulm's significance was due to the privilege of aKönigspfalz, 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: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 likeHans Multscher andJörg Syrlin the Elder. During theReformation, Ulm became Protestant (1530). With the establishment of new trade routes following the discovery of theNew World (16th century) and the outbreak and consequences of theThirty Years' War (1618–1648), the city began to decline gradually. During theWar of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714), it was alternately invaded several times by French andBavarian soldiers.
The capitulation of Ulm. General Mack and 23,000 Austrian troops surrendered toNapoleon.
In the wars following theFrench Revolution, 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 intoBavaria. During the campaign of 1805,Napoleon managed to trap the invading Austrian army ofGeneral Mack and forced it to surrender in theBattle of Ulm. In 1810, Ulm was incorporated into theKingdom of Württemberg and lost its districts on the other bank of the Danube, which came to be known asNeu-Ulm (New Ulm).
In the mid-19th century, the city wasdesignated a fortress of theGerman Confederation 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 theMiddle Ages.
From 1933 to 1935, aconcentration camp 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 duringKristallnacht in November 1938. Of 116 Jews deported from Ulm during World War II (45 were sent toTheresienstadt on 22 August 1942), only four returned.[4] Approximately 25 Jews were living in Ulm in 1968.
Some parts of the city were rebuilt in the plain and simple style of the 1950s and 1960s, but most parts of the historic old town have been restored.[7] 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 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 likeDaimler,Siemens andNokia and a number of small applied research institutes near the university campus. The city today is still growing, forming atwin city of 170,000 inhabitants together with its neighbouring Bavarian city ofNeu-Ulm, and seems to benefit from its central position between the cities ofStuttgart andMunich and thus between the cultural and economic hubs of southern Germany.
Ulm has ahumid continental climate (Köppen:Dfb;Trewartha:Dcbo). Compared with the plains, the temperature fluctuates greatly, with the average temperature ranging from −1 °C (30 °F) in winter to 18 °C (64 °F) in summer, and precipitation is concentrated from May to August.
The Lübeck weather station has recorded the following extreme values:[9]
Highest Temperature 37.4 °C (99.3 °F) on 27 July 1983.
Warmest Minimum 20.6 °C (69.1 °F) on 1 July 1950.
Coldest Maximum −16.8 °C (1.8 °F) on 7 January 1985.
Lowest Temperature −25.5 °C (−13.9 °F) on 10 February 1956.[10]
Highest Daily Precipitation 77.9 mm (3.07 in) on 2 July 1956.
Wettest Month 237.5 mm (9.35 in) in July 1956.
Wettest Year 928.1 mm (36.54 in) in 2002.
Driest Year 501.4 mm (19.74 in) in 1949.
Longest annual sunshine: 2,211.5 hours in 2022.
Shortest annual sunshine: 1,401.5 hours in 1995.
Climate data for Ulm (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1944–present[a])
^Temperature data for Ulm have been recorded since 1944. The weather station data used from 1 January 1944 to 31 August 2014 came from Ulm weather station, and temperature data from 1 September 2014 to the present are fromMähringen [de].
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;pharmaceuticals). The establishment of theUniversity of Ulm in 1967, which focuses onbiomedicine, the sciences, and engineering, helped support a transition to high-tech industry, especially after the crisis of classical industries in the 1980s.[citation needed]
Companies with headquarters in Ulm include:
Britax (child safety products) European headquarters in nearbyLeipheim
In 2007 the City of Ulm was awarded the European Energy Award for its remarkable local energy management and its efforts tocombat climate change.[14] Examples of these efforts are abiomass power plant operated by theFernwärme Ulm GmbH (10MW electrical output), and the world's biggestpassive house office building, the so-calledEnergon, located in the "Science City" near the university campus. Moreover, the city of Ulm boasts the second largestsolar power production in Germany.[15] 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.[16] Until the end of 2011 as a European pilot project a self-sustainingdata-centre will be constructed in the west-city of Ulm.[17] There is a solar-powered ferry that crosses the Danube 7 days a week in summer.[18] 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 to100% renewable energy in Ulm and Neu-Ulm by 2030.[19]
Ulm is situated at the crossroads of theA8 motorway (connecting the principal cities of southern Germany,Stuttgart andMunich), and theA7 motorway (one of the motorways running from northern to southern Europe).
Ulm's public transport system is based on several bus lines andtwo 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 theDaimler AG'sCar2Gocarsharing service in 2008. However, the service in Ulm was discontinued at the end of 2014.
TheUniversity 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.[20]
Ulm is also the seat of the city'sUniversity of Applied Sciences (German: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.[citation needed]
Ulm's public library features over 480,000 print media. The city has a public theatre with drama, opera and ballet,[22] several small theatres,[23] and a professional philharmonic orchestra.[24]
UlmMarktplatz (market square) with town hall (right) and public library (center)Town hallUlm: View through Rabengasse towards theminsterSculpture byNiki de Saint Phalle (The poet and his muse) in front of Ulm UniversityMuseum Ulm, home of theLion-man, oldest sculpture in the world
Ulm Minster (German:Ulmer Münster, built 1377–1891) with the world's highest churchsteeple (161.53 m (529.95 ft) high and 768 steps). Choir stalls by Jörg Syrlin the Elder (1469–1474), famous sculptureSchmerzensmann (Man of Sorrows) by Hans Multscher (1429).
The oldFischerviertel (fishermen's quarter) on theRiver Blau, withhalf-timbered houses, cobblestone streets, and picturesque footbridges. Interesting sights here are theSchiefes Haus Ulm [de] (crooked house), a 16th-century house today used as a hotel, and theAlte Münz (Old Mint), a mediaeval building extended in the 16th and 17th centuries inRenaissance style.
The remaining section of the city walls, along the river, with the 14th-centuryMetzgerturm (butchers' tower) (36 m (118.11 ft) high).
TheRathaus (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.
TheKrone 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 districtAuf dem Kreuz, a residential area with many buildings from before 1700.
Building of theUlm School of Design (German:Hochschule für Gestaltung – HfG Ulm), an important school of design (1953–1968) in the succession of theBauhaus.
Stadthaus, a house for public events built byRichard Meier, directly adjacent to the minster.
Stadtbibliothek, the building of thepublic library of Ulm was erected byGottfried Böhm in the form of a glass pyramid and is situated directly adjacent to the town hall.
Museum Ulm houses a significant collection of art and craftwork from the Middle Ages, theLöwenmensch 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.
TheMuseum of Bread Culture [de] offers a permanent exhibition about the history of grain, baking, milling and bread culture.[26]
The exhibitions in theDanube Swabian Museum [de] follow the varied history of the Danube Swabians (Donauschwaben) emigrants.[27]
Albert Einstein Memorial – A small memorial at the site of the house whereAlbert Einstein was born inBahnhofstraße, between the present-day newspaper offices and the bank. The house itself and the whole district were destroyed in thefirebombing of 1944.
Memorial toHans andSophie Scholl – A small memorial on the Münsterplatz in memory of these two members of theWeiße 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 theWehrmacht 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".
^Megargee, Geoffrey P. (2009).The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos 1933–1945. Volume I. Indiana University Press, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. p. 554.ISBN978-0-253-35328-3.
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