Ulm

Ulm, city, Baden-Württemberg Land (state), southwestern Germany. It lies on the left bank of the Danube River at its junction with the Iller and the Blau, opposite the Bavarian town of Neu Ulm.

Ulm was first mentioned as a royal domain in 854 and was chartered in the 12th century by the Hohenstaufen emperors. It played a leading part in the town leagues and wars of the 14th and 15th centuries, becoming a free imperial city with extensive territorial authority. Ulm’s location at the hub of important trade routes and its prominence in the manufacture of linen and fustian brought it great prosperity in the Middle Ages. It became Protestant in 1530 and declined after the religious French wars of the 16th and 17th centuries. It passed to Bavaria in 1802, losing its territories and immunities, and in 1810 it was ceded to Württemberg. In 1869 the former suburb of Neu Ulm on the Danube’s right bank was chartered as a Bavarian town. By the mid-20th century Ulm had expanded industrially and commercially to become the economic hub of the area.

Ulm is a major road, rail, and communications centre. Its industries include the manufacture of motor vehicles, machinery, electrical equipment, metal products, garden implements, textiles, and other diversified light manufacturing. Although the city was severely damaged in World War II, most of its important buildings have been repaired, and many medieval walls, gates, and fountains survive. The Gothic Münster (cathedral), founded in 1377 and restored and completed in 1890, escaped damage; its 530-foot (162-metre) tower, one of the highest in the world, dominates the city. Other notable landmarks include the town hall, built as a warehouse for weavers, textile merchants, and saddlers (1370, extended in the 20th century); the Neuer Bau (1585–93); and the Schwörhaus (1613), where the freemen and the town council annually swore to maintain the city’s constitution. The city is the seat of the University of Ulm (founded 1967). The unusual Museum of Bread Culture (1955) displays breads and bakeware typical of ancient Egypt and of medieval times, and the Ulm Museum features a large collection of Upper Swabian art. Pop. (2011) 116,761; (2014 est.) 120,714.