Description of the attraction
The Ulm Fortress was one of the largest fortifications in Europe in the 19th century. After the withdrawal of Napoleon's army, the German Union decided to build several fortresses in the country in order to enhance the security of German lands.
Ulm Fortress was built from 1838 to 1859 north of the city under the direction of the architect Moritz Karl Ernst von Prittwitz. This rather typical structure for those times is a polygon with a total length of the fortress walls of more than 9 km. Inside there are multi-storey barracks buildings designed to accommodate 5,000 soldiers in peacetime and up to 20,000 in wartime. The weapons of the defenders of the fortress were installed both on the walls and on the roofs of the barracks. There were 6 gates and 2 railway tunnels in the fortress wall. At some distance from the fortress on the southern side of Ulm, several well-fortified forts were equipped. It was they who were called upon to protect the city from direct attack. The strategically most important object - the only bridge across the Danube - was located inside the fortress. There were plans to further expand the Ulm Fortress, but they were never implemented. And the Ulm fortress was never used for its intended purpose.
During World War II, the fortifications were partially destroyed, and the remains continued to collapse for several decades after. It has recently been partially restored by the Ulm Fortress Explorers' Society.
