Description of the attraction
St. Michael's Church in Ulm has a long and complex history. The first monastery "in the meadows" with a church was founded in 1183 on the slope of the Michelsberg mountain north of Ulm. Located on a busy trade route, the Augustinian monastery served as a refuge and hospital for travelers and pilgrims. The builders of that time did not take into account that the location on a hill, so convenient for travelers, would have a very significant drawback - the frequent lack of drinking water. And already in 1215 the monastery and church in the mountains were abandoned and rebuilt on the river islands closer to the center of Ulm. In 1250, a new three-span building, the second church of St. Michael, was built and consecrated. The Augustinian monks skillfully used the new location of the monastery; the rapid flow of the river was the driving force behind several forges and mill wheels.
As a result of the siege of Ulm in 1376, it was decided to transfer important buildings and churches to the city limits, under the reliable protection of the fortress walls. So the Church of St. Michael "in the meadows" received its third and already final location.
Over the next few centuries, the church and monastery were rebuilt, closed and reorganized several times. A significant part of the buildings, archives, library and relics were lost as a result of the bombing of Ulm in 1944. In 1954, the building of the Church of St. Michael "in the meadows" was partially restored, and in 1998 it was radically rebuilt according to the project of the artist Geyer.
Today St. Michael's Church is not only the parish Catholic Church of Ulm, but also a concert hall for organ music.
