The modern history of Neu-Ulm began with the change of the sovereignty over the city ofUlm in 1810 from theKingdom of Bavaria to theKingdom of Württemberg. TheDanube became the boundary between Bavaria and Württemberg. Land on the right bank of the Danube thus remained under Bavarian sovereignty. This was the beginning of Neu-Ulm's status as an independent town.
At this time Neu-Ulm was very small with little more than a few houses, taverns, pieces of land, and the village of Offenhausen. It was still known asUlm am rechten Donauufer (Ulm on the right-hand side of the Danube). The name "Neu-Ulm" was first mentioned in records in 1814.
The town's real growth began a few decades later in 1841, when theFrankfurter Bundesversammlung announced the building of theFederal Fort of Ulm, theBundesfestung. Upon the wishes ofKing Ludwig I, Neu-Ulm was included within the fort and the building work in Neu-Ulm was overseen by Major Theodor von Hildebrandt.[3][better source needed] After Neu-Ulm was connected to therailway line to Augsburg in 1853, soldiers arrived and a garrison was created there.
The city began to blossom under Mayor Josef Kollmann at the end of the 19th century. A tram line connecting Ulm and Neu-Ulm was built in 1897 and in 1900 the water tower (still a landmark today) was built, guaranteeing Neu-Ulm's water supply. In 1906, Neu-Ulm expanded beyond the city walls for the first time. The first factories were built, and it continued to expand.
AfterWorld War I, the garrison was closed. The population and wealth of the town grew, and it became a rich town. However,World War II left its mark; nearly eighty percent of the town was destroyed by Allied bombing, and all bridges across the Danube to Ulm were destroyed.
In 1857, the town was given a coat of arms, although it was not legally a city at the time. It was first granted city status byKing Ludwig II in 1869. The coat of arms consists of three horizontal bands of black, white and blue, with a tower in front. The tower symbolises the fort built around Neu-Ulm, the colours black and white indicate the relationship withUlm, and the colours white and blue show the association withBavaria.
Neu-Ulm is arranged into 14 districts, 9 of them added between 1972 and 1977. The districts are: Burlafingen, Finningen, Gerlenhofen, Hausen, Holzschwang (including Tiefenbach), Jedelhausen, Ludwigsfeld, Neu-Ulm, Offenhausen, Pfuhl, Reutti, Schwaighofen, Steinheim and Wiley.
Neu-Ulm is currently controlled by theChristian Social Union (CSU). The mayor isKatrin Albsteiger, elected in March 2020.[1] Her predecessor was Gerold Noerenberg, who was in office between 2004 and 2020. He had succeeded Beate Merk, who had been appointed as Bavarian law minister byEdmund Stoiber on 14 October 2003.
The town council is arranged into four parliamentary groups with eight different parties and citizens' initiatives (the number of seats are shown in brackets):
In 1994, the Neu-UlmFachhochschule (University of Applied Sciences) was founded. The School of Economics was first opened as a branch office of theFachhochschuleKempten im Allgäu, but has been independent since 1998. TheFachhochschule Neu-Ulm was initially located in the buildings of the former US base's Wiley Barracks, before expanding into two floors of the newly built Edison Center and then transferring to a new, larger building on the site of the former US base in summer 2008.
