11/08/2026
Ulm Minster (Ulmer Münster) holds a remarkable record: with a steeple soaring 161.5 metres into the sky, it is the tallest church in the world. This colossal Gothic building rises over the old town of Ulm on the Danube in Baden-Württemberg, and although it is often taken for a great cathedral, it has never actually been the seat of a bishop — it is a “minster,” a large parish church, and since the Reformation a Lutheran one, making it the largest Protestant church in Germany. Its construction is a story of extraordinary patience: begun in 1377 and paid for by the citizens of the free imperial city themselves, work stalled for centuries, and the great west tower was only completed in 1890, following the original medieval plans.
What to See
The obvious challenge is the climb: 768 steps spiral up through the openwork stone tower to a viewing platform high on the spire, from where, on a clear day, the panorama stretches across Ulm and Swabia to the distant Alps. Inside, the vast, light-filled nave — one of the tallest of any Gothic church — is a treasury of late-medieval craftsmanship. Its greatest work is the set of carved oak choir stalls by Jörg Syrlin the Elder, made between 1469 and 1474 and lined with wonderfully expressive busts of poets, philosophers and prophets. Look too for the soaring stone tabernacle, the richly carved pulpit with its second, empty canopy meant for the Holy Spirit, and the medieval stained glass and frescoes that survived the centuries. Remarkably, the minster came through the bombing of the Second World War, which flattened much of the surrounding old town, almost unscathed.
How to Get There and Practical Information
Ulm sits on the Danube in the east of Baden-Württemberg, right on the border with Bavaria, and is very easy to reach: it lies on the main high-speed railway line between Stuttgart and Munich, and the minster is only a five-to-ten-minute walk from the main station across the old town. The historic centre around the Münsterplatz is pedestrianised and best explored on foot. Entry to the minster itself is free, while a small charge is made to climb the tower; the church keeps daily opening hours but may close to sightseeing during services, and the tower can shut in high winds or icy weather. Allow an hour or so for the interior and the climb, and leave time afterwards for the picturesque Fishermen’s Quarter (Fischerviertel), with its half-timbered houses along the little canals nearby.
Weather in location: Ulm Minster, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
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- Wind 4 km/h SW
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