The Ulm Minster (english)

764, 766, 768. Made it. We're at the top of the highest church tower in the world. Above us just 15 meters of pinnacle and the wide heavens. Ahead, a panoramic view of the Alps, on a clear day. Below, the city of Ulm and its people. It all began with an excavation in 1377. The retiring mayor climbs down and empties his purse. The citizens of Ulm follow suit. No prince or bishop has any part in it. The minster is a civic church. The city is wealthy. And only the best is good enough. A bit larger? Why not? The master builder Heinrich Pahler shoulders the burden. Stained glass windows by Peter Hemmel. Carvings by Jörg Selim and Michael Erhardt. Reredos by Martin Schaffner. And The Man of Sorrows by Hans Mülcher. Masterpieces of late medieval art. The champions league of gothic churches and cathedrals. Strasbourg, Prague, Cologne, Vienna, Milan and the Ulm Minster. Long-term construction projects. All of them. Master builder Ulrich of Ensingen takes over. And his is a daring scheme. The isle church becomes a basilica. With a tall nave and a gigantic tower. Here are his plans. Word spreads and Strasbourg entices Ulrich away. The project is delayed. The problem of the huge static load has to be solved. Then Matthäus Boeblinger draws up a new design for the tower, which receives general acclaim. In a roll call vote in 1530 the citizens choose the protestant faith. The Kaiser is not amused. But there's a tradition of democracy in Ulm. Then a new dawn breaks. America has been discovered. New trade routes are opened up. The textiles business is no longer flourishing. Building work on the Minster stops for 300 long years. It's not until the romantic period that people all over Germany yearn for the middle ages again. Cologne and Regensburg lead the way. In one case the Kaiser foots the bill, the king of Bavaria in the other. But in Ulm it's mainly the citizens who dip into their purses. The flying buttresses and finials are completed. The gargoyles represent a whole menagerie. The twin towers at the east end are completed in 1870. In 1885 they dare to undertake the main tower. Cologne has already set a record with 157 meters. The tower is completed on the last day of May 1890. Built to Boeblinger's design. Ever since then the Ulm Minster has been the largest civic church in Europe. It has the world's tallest church tower and one of the most attractive too. The tower with its spire is a landmark on all sides. A testimony to the faith and public spirit of those who built it. An ongoing tradition in Ulm. Stone upon stone restoration work proceeds. Faithful down to the last detail. The work never ceases and will continue for many years. 768 steps. The higher you climb, the further you can see. The only church with a tower this tall is the Ulm Minster. The people's church.