Ulm Minster by Martin Kraft under the free license CC BY-SA 3.0
Construction on this immense structure began in 1377, but factors such as the Thirty Years’ War, the Reformation and even the discovery of the Americas led to a lull of nearly 300 years in the building process. It wasn’t completed until 1890—over 500 years later!
A close call came in December 1944, where most of the town’s medieval buildings were destroyed in an air raid, but Ulm Minster remained almost completely intact.
Since its completion, it has held the title of tallest church in the world. At 530 feet high, it’s 30 feet higher than any building in San Diego!
The climb to the top is quite an ordeal, with 768 steps and a spiral staircase that narrows toward the top so that there’s hardly enough room for even a single person. But what a view for anyone adventurous enough to make it!
