Ulm - the city where Einstein was born

As some of you know, Ulm is the city where I partially grew up in and the city I currently live in, so I thought, for my first travel post, I´ll write about Ulm. :)

Ulm is a city situated in the south of Germany, on the river Danube, between two principal cities of southern Germany - Munich, the capital of Bayern... or Bavaria :D and Stuttgart, the capital of Baden - Württemberg. Ulm has always been a trade city and being situated on the important routes towards Italy and France made it easy for this to occure. Evan nowadays Ulm is the economic centre of (mostly classical) industries. Headquarters of numerous companies are based in Ulm. Such as, Ebner & Spiegel (book printing), Gardena (gardening tools), Müller (cosmetic industry), Ratiopharm (pharmaceuticals), Carl Walthers (fire arms), Britax (child safety products), Iveco and many others.

Companies with important plants in Ulm include: Daimler, BMW Car IT, Nuance Communications, Siemens, Nokia, Intel, Audi, etc.

In 1967, the University of Ulm was founded. It focuses mostly on the sciences, medicine, engineering, and mathematics/economics. With about 7,200 students, it is one of the smaller universities in Germany.

In 2014, a branch of the School for Communication and Design was founded in Ulm and is offering courses such as communication design and business and market communication.

Einstein & Ulm

In March 1879, Albert Einstein was born in a house in Ulm that was ruined during the Second World War. As you probably know, Albert Einstein was a world famous physician who came up with the General Theory of Relativity and is mostly famous in the popular culture for his equation E=mc². That´s the world´s most famous equation :) His family then moved to Munich where he contined his primary and secondary school education, until he left Germany 7 years later.

There are streets in Ulm named after him, the Einsteinstrasse and Albert - Einstein - Alee, a community college/adult education centre - "EinsteinHaus", the bouldering hall - "Einstein" and a running marathon that happens every year in Ulm called "Einstein-Marathon".

Einstein has so many awesome quotes that I cannot make up my mind which one to post here! But ok, I´ll post this one :)

What to see & what to do in Ulm?

Well, for the beginning, I would like to mention that I would recommend visiting Ulm either in winter (around Christmas) or in the summer. Ulm is not famous for very nice weather, often being referred to as "Nebelloch" which literally means a "foggy hole" and I can confirm that :D The wheater is also very changeable, so it can happen that you have a very nice, warm and sunny day, but then the next day you have rain and storm. Fun, isn´t it? :D Winter and summer are periods where the wheater in Ulm is mostly stable, plus you have a bonus of other cool things I will mention :)

If you travel to Ulm in the winter, I would recommend arriving around Christmas time, as this is the time of the Christmas markets in Germany, and Ulm´s market is one of the most famous ones. I can definately confirm that winter in Ulm is like a fairy tale. A true winter wonderland. :)

These pictures here were taken in Ulm by my good friend Semyon Vonotna.

On the markets you can find various homemade products, arts and crafts, a bunch of cookies and pastries and traditional food and drinks (Glühwein anyone? ;)). The city is decorated with Christmas ornaments which makes it really cute in combination with the snow. :)

This is a Feuerzangenbowle. A traditional alcoholic drink that you get on the markets. It is basically rum served lit with a sugar on a table spoon.

This is a cheese soup served in bread. :) The bread you can also eat....or not :D As you wish :)

If you would like to get some hot chocolate I would recommend the chic cafe/restaurant Choclet. It has all kinds of chocolate drinks you wish for. You can also eat a very nice breakfast or lunch there.

If you wish to go skiing, Ulm is a great place. For the beginners, there is a ski resort in Blaubeuren (right next to Ulm). If you are advanced there are plenty of great (and cheap) oportunities for skiing in the Swabian Albs, or evan Switzerland, Italy or Austria (which are not far away).

For those of you who like climbing there is a huge bouldering hall in Neu Ulm called Einstein which I highly recommend! There is also of course the ice-skating rink if you are into that too ;)

I would especially recommend visiting the waterpark "Wonnemar". It is great to visit in the winter and summer, but in the winter it can be a special experience to swim in the outside warm thermal pool while it´s snowing :) Oh, yes!

Ulm in summer is warm, but not very hot (which is great for people who don´t like the heat....like me, for example :D) Since the city is surrounded by forests and situated on a river, there are plenty of outdoor sport activities that you can do. Such as biking! Ulm is great for biking. There are endless roads nearby the river Danube where you can bike, inline-skate, jog or whatever comes to your mind! You can take a kayaking course, or swim in the waterpark Wonnemar or numerous lakes around Ulm, such as the lake in Ulm´s quarter Phul, Ludwigsfeld´s lake or the lake in Erbach. If you are up for some longer trips you can evan visit the Bodensee (also known as the Lake Constance).

Summer is also time for some ice-cream, so head to Miraval - the most popular ice cream place in Ulm. Or....you can visit Eiscafe da Venezia in Neu - Ulm, the place where I´ve spent most of my summer days in childhood. :)

Every July, there is a huge celebration in Ulm, namely the Lichtserenade (Light Serenade), Schwörmontag and Nabada. But, hey, what is that? The Light Serenade is a reminiscence of the Donauschwaben (Danube Swabians). Danube Swabians are german-speaking population who lived in south-eastern Europe (in countries such as Croatia, Hungary or Serbia). Light Serenade happens the day before Schwörmontag and it is celebrated by putting about 8000 candles on the river and watching them float. This can be especially romantic in the evening ;) Schwörmontag usually starts at 11 A.M. the next day. It is a traditional celebration of the mayor giving oath to be a fair mayor to all the citizens, mentioning what has been done in the city since the last Schwörmontag and all the political, societal and economic goals for the next year.

The same day at around 4 P.M. starts Nabada - the funnest part! On Nabada people build their own water crafts and head to the river, where they splash each other with water and push each other into the river. There are also many concerts during this time, so fun is definately not missing.

End of summer, in August, there is another great festival for electronic music lovers and water lovers :D Naimly, the WasserFarbTraum Festival. It is a really hippy festival. A lot of great music to dance to (on 3 floors) and a lot of WATER! :D You get a water pistol on the entrance, and there is also a small pool where you can have fun. In the end, you get splashed with a huge amount of water from the main stage :D Really fun! :D This is me on the festival last year :)

Where to eat? Drink a coffee?

When it comes to restaurants/cafes, I would recommend:

1. Besitos - a spanish restaurant in the city centre. A really nice place, you can order small amounts of food very cheaply. Every tuesday evening they have a "Cocktail casino", which means you throw a dice and based on what number you get - that´s how much you pay for your cocktail. So, yeah, it can happen that you pay 1 euro for a 6 euro cocktail, depending on your luck, of course :) Granted, you never get the normal-sized cocktail, you would usually get ;)

2. Choclet - as I already mentioned. Great for a coffee, hot chocolate, breakfast or lunch.

3. Vesuvio - my favourite pizzeria! I´ve been going there since I was a child. It is a family owned pizzeria. A cozy place with delicious food!

4. Tanivera - a very nice and romantic pizzeria in the Fischerviertel in Ulm. That is the old part of the town. It is located on the small river Blau and it has breathtaking sight and delicious food! Definately recommended if you want to spend a romantic evening with your significant other!

5. Gustaff - cafe bar in the center of Ulm in Hafengasse. Really unusually decorated and very nice.

6. Fräulein Berger - a really cool cafe bar, decorated in the style of the 50s. You can find artistic people there. They have a big selection of teas.

7. Bella Vista - "Bella Vista" in italian means "beautiful view." This cafe/restaurant is located on top of the building in the centre of Ulm and indeed offers a beautiful view, as its name suggests.

Nightlife

What about nighlife in Ulm? Well, it certainly depends on what you like. Here are some of the clubs/bars I´d recommend:

1. Myers - this is the "most fancy" club in Ulm. I don´t see it as that fancy, but it is its reputation here. They usually play hip-hop, pop and dance music. Hits, basically. The entrance is rather expensive, and so are the drinks. It is good if you like popular music, but it´s rather small, so it´s not really good if you like to dance, cause it gets crowded. Warning: they have a dress code.

2. Theatro - another very popular club in Ulm. It is made in an old movie theatre, thus the name "Theatro". They have a huge hall and they play usually mixed music Fridays, and house and electronic music Saturdays. It is also mostly commercial music, but so is everywhere in Ulm. I like to go there Saturdays because I like house music and I like to dance and there is plenty of space to dance :) They have a dress code too, most of the time.

3. The X-Lounge - a cocktail bar on top of the movie theatre "Xinedome". It´s a really nice bar. They have good cocktails and you get a free view on Ulmer Münster. Not bad, huh? ;)

4. Hemperium - an "alternative" bar and restaurant. They fight for the legalization of marijuana, so they offer products made of hemp. Thus the name "Hemperium". This bar is mostly for "alternative" and artsy people. They have jam sessions every Wednesday, on which I go occasionally.

5. Frau Berger - this is another so called "alternative" bar where you can meet a lot of hip-hoppers. :D Just saying. ;) It is a nice place worth checking out.

6. Olga Bar - a very smokey bar, but allegedly you can meet interesting people there.

7. Glembotzky - a very cool decorated bar, very chilled...

Hotels/Hostels

1. Maritim - the most expensive, luxury hotel in Ulm

2. Golden Tulip Parkhotel Neu Ulm - not as expensive as Maritim, has a great location - located right next to the river Danube

3. Riku in Neu Ulm - very nicely decorated, comfortable, clean and affordable hotel

4. Hotel Ibis - good and affordable

5. Hotel Ibis Budget - if you are looking for a cheaper place, you can find a room for 50 euros

6. Brickstone Hostel - a very cool, artsy, comfortable and cheap hostel. You can find a place to crash for 18 - 30 euros. Highly recommended!

7. Zum Anker - if you are looking for a very cheap hotel, you can find a room here for 30-40 euros

8. Orange Hotel and Apartments - a very comfortable hotel which also has apartments to rent if you wish to stay longer

Shopping

While Ulm is not exactly a shopping metropola, there are some nice stores in the Hirschstrasse, the main street in Ulm. Or if you head to Neu - Ulm, there is a newly opened shopping centre "Glacis Gallerie". It´s really good, with stores such as Zara, H&M, Desigual and many others.

For the culture lovers

1. The monument on the place where used to be the house where Einstein was born (since the house itself, unfortunately, no longer exists)

2. Ulmer Münster - the minster in Ulm has the highest steeple in the world! It´s definately worth to climb upstairs!

3. Fischerviertel - the old part of the town with old houses and small creeks. It´s beautiful.

4. The new library - with a very modern architecure next to old buildings, it also has a nice view from the top

2. Stadthaus - they often have interesting free exhibitions and tour guides

3. Weisshaupt Gallerie - great if you like contemporary art!

4. Ulmer Museum - contains historic, but also contemporary art

5. Ulmer Theatre - if you´d like to see a concert, ballet, a play or a musical

6. Wieblingen Castle - a masterpiece of rococo, it´s impressive library leaves everyone breathless

7. Blautopf - unsure whether to put it under "culture", but definately worth visiting. Blautopf is the spring of the river Blau and it got the name "Blau" (english: blue) because of its wonderful intensively blue color. Blautopf is actually located in the small city Blaubeuren, right next to Ulm. Surrounded by numerous caves makes it a really special treat. Ideal for a chilled Sunday trip.

Generally, people in Ulm are very nice and friendly. People hug each other upon meeting and it is normal for a random stranger to smile at you on the street. Someone somewhere said that we should cherish the strangers who randomly smile at us, because they make this world a better place. I totally agree with this.

Anything I forgot? Anything you´d like to add?

P.S. What is your favourite Einstein quote? :)

#travel #ulm #einstein #neuulm #whattodo #whattosee #travelguides #Choclet #Blaubeuren #Boulderhalle #Wonnemar #Miraval #EiscafedaVenezia #Nabada #WasserFarbTraum #Besitos #Vesuvio #Tanivera #Gustaff #FräuleinBerger #BellaVista #Myers #Theatro #TheXLounge #Hemperium #FrauBerger #OlgaBar #Glembotzky #Maritim #GoldenTulipParkhotel #Riku #HotelIbis #BrickstoneHostel #ZumAnker #OrangeHotelandApartments #GlacisGallerie #UlmerMünster #Fischerviertel #WeisshauptGallerie #UlmerMuseum #UlmerTheatre #WieblingenCastle #Blautopf #purplehaze #purplehazeblog