Ulm Minster

Ulm Minster
Ulmer Münster (German)
Ulm Minster as seen from the western city
Ulm Minster Location in Germany
48°23′55″N 9°59′33″E / 48.39861°N 9.99250°E / 48.39861; 9.99250
Location	Ulm
Country	Germany
Denomination	Lutheran
Previous denomination	Catholic
Website	www.ulmer-muenster.de
History
Status	Minster Parish church
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architect(s)	Heinrich Parler
Architectural type	Minster
Style	Gothic
Groundbreaking	1377
Specifications
Capacity	2,000
Number of spires	3
Bells	13
Administration
Division	Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg[1]
Building details
Record height
Tallest in the world from 1890 to 1894[I]
Preceded by	Cologne Cathedral
Surpassed by	Philadelphia City Hall
General information
Construction started	1377
Completed	31 May 1890
Height	161.5 m (530 ft)
References
[2]

Ulm Minster (German: Ulmer Münster) is a Lutheran church located in Ulm, State of Baden-Württemberg (Germany). It is currently the tallest church in the world.^[3] The church is the fifth-tallest structure built before the 20th century, with a steeple measuring 161.53 metres.^[3]

Though it is sometimes referred to as Ulm Cathedral because of its great size, the church is not a cathedral as it has never been the episcopal see of a bishop. Though the towers and all decorative elements are of stone masonry, attracting the attention of visitors, most of the walls, including the façades of the nave and choir, actually consist of visible brick. Therefore, the building is sometimes referred to as a brick church. As such, it lays claim to the rank of second- to fourth-largest, after San Petronio Basilica in Bologna and together with Frauenkirche in Munich and St. Mary's Church in Gdańsk. The tower however was mainly built from sandstone.^[4]

Ulm Minster was begun in the Gothic architecture of the Late Middle Ages but the building was not completed until the late 19th century after a hiatus of centuries. When work ceased in the 16th century all of the church except the towers and some outer decorations were complete, unlike at Cologne Cathedral, where less than half of the work had been done before construction halted in the 15th century.

Visitors can climb the 768 steps that lead to the top of the minster's spire. At 143 m (469 ft) it gives a panoramic view of Ulm in Baden-Württemberg and Neu-Ulm in Bavaria and, in clear weather, a vista of the Alps from Säntis to the Zugspitze. The final stairwell to the top (known as the third Gallery) is a tall, spiralling staircase that has barely enough room for one person.