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For 135 Years, Ulm Cathedral Was the Tallest Building in the World. A Symbol of Germany, It Withstood Centuries of Wars, Miracles, Legends and Curious Urban Episodes
For 135 years, Ulm Cathedral, in Germany, held the title of the tallest church in the world. This position was only surpassed in October 2025, when the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona reached a height of 162 meters — just one meter more. The Spanish feat, however, is still controversial, as the Catalan temple has not even been inaugurated.
The record has different meanings. Ulm Cathedral was born at a time when religious structures competed in height and grandeur, when there were no skyscrapers or communication towers.
Today, the title may seem symbolic, but in the 19th century, it represented an architectural and spiritual triumph.
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NASA astronaut points his camera 400 km from Earth and, traveling at 28,000 km/h, uses long exposure to create images with light trails, geometric patterns, and visual effects that challenge human logic.
Moreover, Ulm continues to impress with its unique history. Built with popular resources and completed more than 500 years after the work began, it has withstood the test of time, wars, and even unusual threats.
A City of Geniuses
Ulm is located in southern Germany, along the banks of the Danube River, in the state of Baden-Württemberg. It emerged in the Middle Ages as a free imperial city of the Holy Roman Empire.
Throughout history, the municipality has been the stage for decisive moments for great names in humanity.
Descartes is said to have developed part of his philosophical method there. Johannes Kepler lived in the city. And Albert Einstein was born in Ulm.
At the heart of this past is the Ulmer Münster, the main church and symbol of the city. Unlike other European cathedrals, it was not financed by nobles or the Church.
The local population raised the funds, driven by devotion and civic pride. The project began in 1377 and spanned generations, as the local tourism website reminds us: “the population initiated a project at the end of the 14th century knowing that they would not live to see it completed.”
Architects and Medieval Ambitions
The trajectory of the church reflects how the great master builders of the medieval period operated. In 1392, Ulrich von Ensingen took over the construction.
He erected the west tower and soon received a tempting offer: to work on the Cathedral of Milan, which was just beginning to be built.
After a brief stay in Italy, he returned to Ulm, resuming the lifelong command of the project. Even so, two years later, he left again — this time for Strasbourg.
For decades, Ensingen and his family alternated between Ulm and other cities, leaving their mark on various Gothic temples in Central Europe.
Even with so many interruptions, the church’s construction continued slowly until the 16th century, when the money ran out and the works were suspended.
In 1530, the city joined the Protestant Reformation, and the temple became Lutheran. The project remained stalled for three centuries.
The Resumption in the 19th Century
Only in the 19th century did Ulm decide to complete its masterpiece. Advances in engineering and a resurgence of interest in Gothic architecture breathed new life into the project.
In 1890, the church was finally inaugurated with extraordinary dimensions: 15-meter stained-glass windows, a capacity for 20,000 people, and an organ with almost 9,000 pipes.
The bell tower reached 161.5 meters, making it one of the tallest buildings on the planet.
The tower became the city’s great pride. Tourists can climb its 768 steps to an observation platform 143 meters high.
From up there, the view is breathtaking, and the feeling of being above almost the entire city makes the effort worthwhile.
The Legend of the Clever Sparrow
Among the curiosities surrounding the construction of the church, one of the most famous involves a small sparrow.
The legend says that, during the construction, the builders faced difficulty transporting a wooden beam through the city gate.
Discouraged, they considered demolishing the gate until they saw a sparrow carrying a twig in its beak — vertically, rather than horizontally.
The scene inspired the workers, who managed to solve the problem without destroying anything. The bird became a local symbol. Today, the “Ulm sparrow” appears in statues, rooftops, sweets, and souvenirs sold to tourists.
It is considered a mascot that represents the ingenuity and perseverance of the residents.
Wars and Miracles
The old Ulm church, which was outside the city walls, was vulnerable to invasions. Therefore, the new construction was erected within the walls, a symbol of security and faith.
However, the walls, once strategic, became useless centuries later, when modern warfare arrived.
In December 1944, the Royal Air Force bombed Ulm. The attack destroyed 80% of the historic center, but the church miraculously remained standing.
Just months later, in 1945, a 500-kilogram bomb fell on the choir and did not explode. The structure survived intact, becoming a symbol of resistance for Germans in the post-war period.
The Most Unusual Enemy
After resisting centuries of weather and wars, the church faced an unexpected adversary: street urinators.
In the 2010s, the Ulm city government found itself confronted with a curious — and embarrassing — problem. During events and festivals in the square by the church, visitors used the walls of the temple as a bathroom.
The fines initially imposed, starting at 50 euros, were ineffective. Not even the increase to 100 euros resolved the situation.
The problem was not just the bad smell: the salts and acids in the urine were corroding the restored sandstone at the base of the church, damaging the structure.
During wine festivals and Christmas markets, the scene became alarming, with stains and even vomit on the walls of the temple.
Protection and Preservation of the Church
The municipal administration, concerned about the damage, began to install more public restrooms and reinforce police presence during events.
The measure helped to reduce incidents and preserve the heritage. The situation served as an alert to residents about the importance of caring for the work that took half a millennium to complete.
Today, Ulm Cathedral remains a prominent tourist attraction in Germany. The square surrounding it hosts fairs, concerts, and celebrations, keeping alive the city’s relationship with the temple it helped to build.
Even through the centuries, the story of the church continues to serve as a portrait of human persistence.
Ulm Cathedral: A Monument to Resistance
The Ulmer Münster is more than a Gothic construction. It is a testament to the faith, patience, and ingenuity of entire generations.
Built by the hands of ordinary citizens, it has survived the passage of time, world wars, and even modern neglect.
Its 161.5-meter tower continues to point to the sky, reminding us that some human works are capable of crossing centuries — and still remain standing.
With information from Nossa.uol.
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