Today I was chatting with someone on how I would accept a move to Europe in the blink of an eye. It all stems from the positive experience I have had from my travels there. My job requires me to travel quite a bit and I have had the opportunity to visit a few countries during my business visits. Although I don’t like all the countries that I have traveled to, I especially hold my trip to Germany close to heart. I felt very welcome in Germany and although I didn’t know a word of German, people were extremely nice to me and made me feel at home. It was during this trip to Germany that I ended up living just a few hundred meters away from Ulm Minster – the tallest church in the world!
It was an absolutely last minute trip for me to Germany as I had to attend a conference in Stuttgart. I was hurriedly booked at a hotel “near” Stuttgart according to my admin and all I knew was the phone number of the hotel and its name. I traveled with a colleague and soon we were on our way. Once we reached Stuttgart we were in for a shock. The hotel that we were booked in was actually in another town called Ulm which was a good one and a half hour train ride – and this is by express train. In Germany express means really fast unlike the ones we have in Malaysia.
Fearing the worst, my colleague and I somehow managed to catch a train to Ulm and we were reassured that the hotel was right next to the train station. I saw the train leaving Stuttgart and within a good thirty minutes we were passing through some lovely countryside. This was certainly refreshing for me and I couldn’t wait to get to Ulm now. We got to Ulm on time and managed to check in to our hotel which was a stones throw away from the railway station.
After a quick washup, we decided to check out the town of Ulm. The town is quite laid back with some very friendly and warm people. Roads were made of stone and it was like almost from another era. People were well mannered and drivers were disciplined on the road.
The laid back town of Ulm
The place was certainly paradise for me as we passed through numerous micro breweries each with their own brand of beer and dark beer. Anyone who visits Germany has to try the pork knuckles and beer! It is to die for! Ok, back to the story. My colleague and I started exploring this little town and in no time realized that Ulm was actually home to the tallest church in the world. What a privilege it was for us to actually be in this little town which was not even known outside Europe. Not wasting a single moment, we started snapping photos of this wonderful work of art.
View of Ulm Minster from outside our hotel
What a majestic sigh it was to look at the church. The view nearer to the church was even more breathtaking.
Up close and personal with Ulm Minster
I wonder why this beautiful church doesn’t get too much notice outside of Europe. Is it probably because of the fact that it is predominantly protestant? Not sure. But whatever it is, this church is a fantastic work of art. I did some research on the Ulm MInster and here’s an extract about the history of this beautiful church:
Ulm Minster (German: Ulmer Münster, literally: minster) is a Lutheran church, the tallest church in the world, with a steeple measuring 161.53 m (530 ft) and containing 768 steps. Located in Ulm, Germany. Although sometimes referred to as Ulm Cathedral because of its great size, the church is not a cathedral as it has never been the seat of a bishop. (The responsible bishop of the Evangelical State Church in Württemberg – member of the Evangelical Church in Germany – resides in Stuttgart.) Ulm Minster is a famous example of Gothic ecclesiastical architecture. Like Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom) – another building begun in the Gothic era – the Ulm Münster was not completed until the 19th century. From the top level at 143m there is 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 3rd Gallery) is a tall, spiraling staircase that has barely enough room for one person.
Thanks to Wikipedia.
Unfortunately I didn’t get to visit the inside of the church during this trip. I hope I will be able to make a trip to Germany sometime in the near future so that I will be able to look at the inside as well! Hats off to medieval architecture!
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#1 by Cindy - October 23rd, 2009 at 00:32
Maybe then you should visit the church on top of Chocolate Hill at Bohol, Philippines. The structures and architectures are amazing. Breathtakingly Beautiful.
Just some interesting Christianity facts for you since your extract about Ulm Minster talks about it being a Lutheran Church.
In the olden Days, There was only Roman Catholics. In the early days of 1500s (i think), as time changes, so does social standards and religious believes and doctrines. Martin Luther has his own believes of how Christianity should be like, and hence, he deviated away from Roman Catholic and formed another group of Christianity which we now know as Protestants. People later named his teaching after his name, and that is why you have a Lutheran Church today.
Thanks for sharing!
#2 by matblogger - October 23rd, 2009 at 06:11
Interesting info about Martin Luther. Didn’t know that
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