Ulm Münster

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Information
Ulmer Münster
Ulmer Münster was the world's tallest building from 1890 to 1908.†
Preceded by	Cologne Cathedral
Surpassed by	Singer Building
Location	Ulm, Germany
Status	Complete
Constructed	1377-1890
Height
Antenna/Spire	162 m (530 ft.)
Technical Details
Floor count	n/a
†Fully habitable, self-supported, from main entrance to highest structural or architectural top; see world's tallest structures for other listings.

Ulm Münster is a Lutheran cathedral and the tallest church in the world, its steeple measuring 161.53 m (530') high and containing 768 steps. Located in Ulm, Germany, it is an outstanding example of Gothic ecclesiastical architecture. After climbing the 768 steps to the top there is superb panoramic view of Baden-Württemberg's Ulm and Bavaria's Neu-Ulm and, in the right weather conditions, a vista of the Alpine range from Säntis to the Zugspitze. The climb up is strenuous. As you traverse through old stone passageways you get a true sense of the history of the church. The final stairwell to the top (known as the 3rd Gallery) is a tall, spiraling staircase that has barely enough room for one person. When people are going up to the gallery and then back down it can get quite claustrophobic.

This architectural masterpiece houses many famous artworks. The 15th century choir stalls by Jörg Syrlin the Elder enjoy world-wide acclaim, in particular the carved busts which have gone down as masterpieces in the history of art. Among the other works of distinction in the Münster are Hans Multscher's Man of Sorrows on the main portal and the pulpit canopy by Jörg Syrlin the Younger, as well as the altar and window in the chancel.

Work on the Ulm Citizen's Church began in 1377, financed by the city's inhabitants. There was then a very long period between 1547 and the 19th century with no further building activity, even when the church became protestant during the reformation. Construction was resumed in 1844 and finally completed in 1890 with the addition of the spire.

In 1877 the Jewish congregation of Ulm (synagogue) and the father of Albert Einstein gave money to make a famous statue of the hebrew prophet Jeremiah (near the large organ).

The cathedral was saved from bombing during World War II largely because of the fog that surrounded the region of Ulm on a regular basis. Because it was difficult to navigate the area from the air, the Allies found the cathedral too valuable a landmark to be allowed to be accidentally destroyed.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Gallery

View toward the choir	View toward the gallery	Hellespontine Sibyl by Jörg Syrlin t.E. (ca. 1470)	Virgil by Jörg Syrlin t.E., possibly a self-portrait of Syrlin
Visitation - Detail of the coloured window "Kramerfenster"	Main altar by Martin Schaffner (1521)	Figures from Genesis above the main portal	Man of Sorrows on the main portal by Hans Multscher (1429)
View from the top to east	Spiral staircase to third gallery	Detail of the Garden of Gethsemane	Dragon on the way up the stairs of the Ulmer Münster steeple