Ulm Minster
Look up: that spire reaches 161.53 metres — and from its completion in 1890 until October 2025, it stood for roughly 135 years as the tallest church tower in the world, finally surpassed by the Sagrada Família's Tower of Jesus Christ in Barcelona. Yet Ulm Minster is not a cathedral: it has no bishop's throne, no crypt. When the foundation stone was laid in 1377, the fewer than ten thousand citizens of this free imperial city paid for it out of their own pockets — a church of the people. It remains the largest Gothic church in southern Germany and the largest Protestant church in the country. Once inside, don't just crane your neck at the vaulted ceiling: the real stories are carved into the choir stalls, embedded in the stained glass, tucked into the side-aisle chapels, and perched on a gargoyle that turns its backside toward its maker's house.
Germany · 16 The overlooked corners inside
The overlooked corners inside
Besserer Chapel
Turn right past the choir and walk around to the rear of the women's side of the choir stalls, and you'll find the smallest chapel in the Minster. The date 1414 is carved above the door, and a coat of arms bearing two cups — the Besserer family crest — is set into the wall. This was a private family chapel belonging to one of Ulm's most prominent dynasties; Bernhard Besserer (1471–1542), mayor during the Reformation, was among their number. The space is compact, but its five choir windows have been judged by art historians as technically flawless, the draughtsmanship at the very peak of the craft.
Sources: de.wikipedia.org
Ulm Minster Grand Organ
Standing on the west gallery and looking up at this organ's façade, you are looking at Walcker's Opus 5000 — a milestone the firm deliberately marked by giving the Ulm Minster commission that round number. Work began in 1967 and the organ was inaugurated on 19 October 1969: five manuals, 99 speaking stops, around 8,900 pipes, making it the largest organ in Württemberg. The case was designed by Dr Walter Supper of Esslingen; the action is mechanical, the stop control electric.
Sources: ann-helena.de · walcker.com · wikidata.org
Hutz Altarpiece
The winged altarpiece standing in the choir still gleams with gilding. Known as the Hutz Altarpiece, it was made in 1521 as a collaboration between Ulm painter Martin Schaffner (who painted the panels) and sculptor Niklaus Weckmann (who carved the figures), and is considered Schaffner's masterpiece. It is also called the Holy Kinship Altarpiece after its subject — the extended family of Christ: the Virgin and Child on the left, and to the right, the Virgin's mother St Anne turning toward them and touching the infant's hand with a fingertip. One altarpiece, two hands, two eras: late Gothic and Renaissance coexist in the same frame, and that tension is what repays close looking.
Sources: de.wikipedia.org
Ulm Minster Main Tower
At 161.53 metres, this spire held the record as the world's tallest church tower continuously from 1890 to October 2025 — 135 unbroken years. Its construction spanned more than five centuries: foundation laid in 1377, work suspended in 1543, resumed in 1844, and finally crowned with its topmost finial on 31 May 1890. The finished tower stands ten metres taller than the original drawings specified — not by design, but by will.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · de.wikipedia.org · wikidata.org
Ulm Sparrow Sculpture
Near the church entrance, inside a display case, sits a small stone bird. Known as the Ulm Sparrow, it is, on close inspection, not a sparrow at all — it is a dove carrying an olive branch, taken from the biblical story of Noah's Ark. The original, carved in sandstone, was donated by a prosperous Ulm citizen in 1858 and placed on the nave roof; because it looked almost comically small against the building, townspeople jokingly said it resembled a sparrow, and the nickname stuck.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Neithart Chapel
Opening off the eastern base of the north choir tower, this chapel was commissioned as a p… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: de.wikipedia.org · wikidata.org
Konrad Sam Chapel
Tucked below the south choir tower, this chapel was originally the Minster's old sacristy… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: de.wikipedia.org · de.wikipedia.org · wkgo.de
West Portal Tympanum
Step into the three-arched porch of the west portal and look up at the triangular stone pa… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: de.wikipedia.org
Choir Windows
The east end of the choir is enclosed by five facets of a regular decagon, each filled wit… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: de.wikipedia.org
Choir Stalls
The oak choir stalls lining both sides of the choir — together with the Dreisitz (the thre… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: de.wikipedia.org
Choir Altarpiece
The winged altarpiece at the east end of the choir is called the Holy Kinship Altarpiece… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: de.wikipedia.org
Other Artworks
Along the central axis of the nave, several pieces are easy to overlook. The Sacrament Hou… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: de.wikipedia.org
Exterior Sculpture
The flying buttresses that brace the Minster's outer walls brought with them a cast of fan… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: de.wikipedia.org
Nave Windows
Most of the stained-glass windows in the Minster's nave were destroyed in the 1944 bombing… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: de.wikipedia.org
The 1817 'Restoration'
In 1817, the Minster's interior underwent a 'restoration' now widely regarded as distinctl… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: de.wikipedia.org
Pulpit Balustrade
The stone-carved relief panels on the pulpit balustrade (Kanzelkorb) have a complicated hi… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: de.wikipedia.org
FAQ
What overlooked corners are worth seeing inside Ulm Minster?
Besserer Chapel, Ulm Minster Grand Organ, Hutz Altarpiece and more — 16 spots in all, each with sources and a guide in your language to read or listen to on the spot.
Is the Ulm Minster guide free?
The first 5 spots are free to read; the other 11 unlock with a one-time purchase (not a subscription).