Franziskanerkloster Ulm

The Franciscan monastery in Ulm once stood on the Münsterplatz, near the Löwentor at the south-west corner. Founded in 1229 by pious citizens, it became a spiritual and judicial centre for the city. Emperors and citizens alike used its rooms for meetings and burials, showing how closely the town and the friars were linked. The first monastery was dissolved in 1531 after the Reformation and its buildings turned into a Latin school. A new Franciscan house was built in 1926 on Haßlerstrasse and named Franziskusheim. During the Second World War the friars kept the church open despite state threats, and in 1945 the CDU was founded in its refectory. Today the monastery still stands on Haßlerstrasse with its 1926 church and cloister. The building follows Eugen Eger’s plans, with four side chapels added later. Though the friars left in 2009, the church remains in use for local Catholic services.