Sometimes foggy in winter, but all the more beautiful in summer, and with over 129,000 residents, it’s just the right size to make you feel at home in no time: that’s Ulm. A wide range of cultural and leisure activities can be found here within a compact area. From hip-hop concerts and theatre trips to a night out in the pub or a basketball match, there’s something for everyone. And best of all: almost every venue is within easy walking distance if you live near the city centre. Thanks to the excellent local transport network, however, students living in the suburbs can also enjoy Ulm’s nightlife.
The two central features of the city’s geography are the Danube, which separates Ulm from its sister city Neu-Ulm whilst also linking the city to the cultural landscape of the Danube region, and the famous Ulm Minster.
Ulm's Schwörmontag is the unofficial public holiday in Ulm. The mayor's publicly declared oath of allegiance, which dates back to the "Great Oath Letter" of 1397, is still widely celebrated today. The so-called "Nabada" is particularly well-known on this day, when tens of thousands of participants "nabade" the Danube in their rubber dinghy, an air mattress or a self-made watercraft.
Germany's oldest municipal theater is a three-section venue that offers top-class and modern performances in the fields of opera, drama and ballet. The Ulm Philharmonic Orchestra can also be heard here regularly. The Museum of the City of Ulm houses one of the oldest human-animal figures in history, a lion man carved from mammoth ivory. Connoisseurs of modern art are drawn to the Kunsthalle Weishaupt in the Neue Mitte district, where works by Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol can be seen. There are also cultural projects at Ulm University of Applied Sciences, such as the university choir and the university orchestra.
The International Danube Festival, which takes place every two years, is also popular. For ten days, both sides of the banks of the Danube are a hive of activity when international artists and guests from all countries along the Danube come together at the festival of encounters. The international cultural program offers a mixture of different genres - music, dance, literature and exhibitions.
Every year during Advent, the traditional Christmas market takes place on Ulm's Münster-Platz. In the heart of Ulm, 130 stalls spread a festive atmosphere for four weeks.
The Danube, which separates Ulm from Neu-Ulm, allows joggers, inline skaters, rowers and other sports enthusiasts to enjoy their sport directly on the Danube. A special event is the annual Einstein Marathon through the whole of Ulm. Thanks to its good geographical location between Stuttgart and Lake Constance, amateur athletes are offered numerous other opportunities to exercise: Skiing in the Alps, cross-country skiing in the Swabian Alb, hiking in the Allgäu or sailing and surfing on Lake Constance.
ratiopharm ulm plays in the 1st German Basketball League and arouses great interest both in the twin city and in the region. As the city's largest sports club, SSV Ulm 1846 is home to numerous amateur and elite athletes.
The university sports club offers students the opportunity to train.
You'll find a lively nightlife in Ulm: Popular student parties are held during the week at Frau Berger or Myers, while many bars, pubs and clubs await you in the city center, in the Fischerviertel district and around Münsterplatz. In summer, the Ulmer Zelt festival provides live music. There are also concerts and events at ROXY Ulm and the ratiopharm arena. Locations such as the Sauschdall, CAT and the student café near the university are student-oriented.