"The World's highest Church Spire and the Sparrows" Top 5 Page for this destination Ulm by Kakapo2

Ulm Travel Guide: 244 reviews and 831 photos

The World's highest Church Spire and the Sparrows - Ulm

This picture says and has it all: the world's highest church spire, the sparrow, symbol of the city, and the grey building in the background is the head office of Sparkasse Ulm where I still have my German bank account ;-))) So you see, somehow I will always stay in touch with the place where I lived for nearly 24 years before I emigrated to New Zealand ;-) Money keeps us together - if it just were more!

No, seriously, Ulm is getting more beautiful by the day, and I do not understand why it is not compulsory for every Germany tourist to visit and at least climb the 768 steps up to the viewing platform of the Cathedral (Ulmer Münster). The spire BTW is 161.53 metres high and therefore three metres higher than the Dome in Cologne, just to clarify this - because far too many people think Cologne's cathedral is higher. And BTW number two: Although Cologne's Altstadt is nice, Ulm's historic city centre is even nicer ;-))) We just do not produce Eau de Cologne, the football team is worse, and whoever wants to get drunken does not need an excuse or justification like Cologne's Carnival ;-)

The other thing is about the sister-city Neu-Ulm on the other side of the Danube (Donau). The river separates the place and creates a difficult co-existence, regarding administration and organisation: Ulm belongs to the state of Baden-Württemberg, Neu-Ulm to Bavaria. And the joke is true: The best thing about Neu-Ulm is the view to Ulm :-)

City Wall and Butchers' Tower (Metzgerturm).

Update March 2009

I needed a change from permanently writing about New Zealand (still soooo much to write about LOL), so I have started to work on my Ulm page.

I started with a General Tip in which I explain why the sparrow is the symbol of the city, and the people are called Sparrows. Let me already give you a hint: It is not very flattering for the people...

Now I am adding slowly more and more tips and stories, memories and my favourite spots of the place I once called home.

Update February 2010

I had a little break from Ulm because I had no digital photos of too many places and was reluctant to scan old photos. The easy solution: I went back ;-))) I spent several days in Ulm in September 2009, alone, with Kimi_the_Bear, with friends, and also stayed with some of my friends in Ulm. Yes, although I have been living in New Zealand for six years now, most of my really good friends are living back in Ulm, and I guess this will stay like this forever.

The biggest fun of my last Ulm visit was becoming a real tourist, and my friend Sabine who lives there, too. We checked out places we had no idea of. We even had to do some serious research about the new home of Ulm's beloved Brown Bears. Ok, I think her ten year old son knew it ;-)

Just give me some time and you will find a lot more tips which will reflect my local knowledge. In the meantime enjoy the tips I have already written and posted. There will be more by the day.

Update December 2012

In the meantime I have been back to MY beloved city two more times, the last time just in September and October this year. I stayed with friends, we went on cycling tours - and, of course, I visited my optometrist, my dentist and had loads of delicious Italian ice-cream you get in Ulm at every corner, and nearly nowhere in New Zealand.

On the way up in the Münster's spire.

Ok, by now you know that Ulm has the world's highest church spire, and that the sparrow is the city's symbol.

But did you know...

... that not only the Danube (Donau) flows through Ulm but that the city is a three river city?
... that Ulm once had Germany's largest fortification
(Bundesfestung) of which you can still see a lot of remains?
... that paragliding was more or less invented in Ulm? (Ok, the guy fell into the river, that is why somebody else got the recognition and this man - the Tailor of Ulm - was ridiculed?)
... that Ulm has a carnival-like procession on the Danube on its local holiday in July?
... that Ulm is a centre of science, design and innovation?
... that Albert Einstein, Hans and Sophie Scholl were born in Ulm?
... that you find an absolutely amazing Baroque library in the suburb
of Wiblingen?
... that 10,000 students study at Ulm's universities?
... that Ulm's rowers are world class?
... that the German Bread Museum is in Ulm?
... that Ulm's municipal library is located in a glass pyramid?
... that Ulm has the world's most extremely leaning hotel?
... that Ulm has a glockenspiel made of Meissener porcelain?

The only thing that is missing is me. But my next visit is on the cards :-)))

Pros and Cons

Pros:Beautiful, romantic, cyclist- and pedestrian-friendly, with beautiful suburbs
Cons:Often foggy because of its three rivers; too far away from my new home
In a nutshell:Forever in my heart

Last visit to Ulm: Oct 2012
Intro Updated Dec 24, 2012
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Reviews (55)

A touch of France at Volksfestplatz (fairgrounds). - Ulm

Französisches Dorf - French Delights Local Customs (10)

Another newish festival in Ulm. It takes place in August and is located at Volksfestplatz in Friedrichsau, a bit further... more travel advice

Great wine, beer and food under umbrellas. - Ulm

Weinfest - wine and food beside the... Local Customs (10)

This relatively new festival of wine and food has quickly become a favourite. By coincidence I walked through the area... more travel advice

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Surely there are areas in the city where I would consider not cyclist-friendly. But in historic city centres and on main... more travel advice

Replica of Berblinger's apparatus in Town Hall. - Ulm

Der Schneider von Ulm (The Tailor of... Off The Beaten Path (2)

We have quite some places in Ulm that remind of this genius who perhaps lived 150 years too early to become a global... more travel advice

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1 - 4 of 9

Comments (12)

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slothtraveller Nov 9, 2011 at 6:47 AM

A really well-written page about your former hometown, Sissi. I can tell that you still regard it highly. I am hoping to visit next year so your tips should be useful to me!
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BruceDunning Feb 2, 2011 at 3:01 PM

I am researching a trip to hregion and there you are with the most informative and fabulous pages and pictures I have noted in a long while. Great job.
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burleigh1 Jan 12, 2011 at 12:29 PM

Great job and good information although I did not have any luck with the link neue-arbeit-ggmbh.de. I have a bike rental database on my website. If you know of other rental companies, let me know. http://bicyclegermany.com
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Jim_Eliason Jul 16, 2010 at 4:52 PM

Great tips Sissi
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wabIV Aug 19, 2009 at 8:56 AM

Wow! Thank you for all the great information about Ulm. I'm looking forward to my visit in September. I'll be sure to climb all 768 steps in the main spire.
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gilabrand May 17, 2009 at 10:09 PM

Loved the sparrow essay!
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ranger49 Mar 13, 2009 at 3:17 PM

A very interesting page. I'll be back for more another day!
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Arkeolog Mar 13, 2009 at 8:37 AM

Hi, your page is great with good photos and nice tips. Also it brings my Ulm memories back. tahnks for sharing. best wishes. Bora
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christine.j Mar 13, 2009 at 8:27 AM

Sissi, this is a great page. So far I've only seen the train station in Ulm, but I know now that I have to come back for a real visit.
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lynnehamman Mar 10, 2009 at 2:05 AM

Amazing, well researched facts about this cathedral. What an interesting history it has. Sparrow story also wll explained. Name Kramer- is very popular surname in South Africa.Must be a connection??