Inscriptions of Ulm

Leaning House

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In the former fishers and millers quarter of the medieval center of Ulm you can see a house that is the most leaning hotel of the world. Note that the leaning walls you see on the photos are not a zoom effect but even less than in reality!

First Inscription

Comment

According to the third inscription, the Leaning House is more than half a century older than indicated here, since its construction began in 1443. Thus its age is approaching 600 years and in Europe there are many half-timbered houses having a comparable age. None of our modern buildings made of metall, concrete, and glass will ever reach a similar age.

Second Inscription

Comment

One of the Schwabian Home Region Association's objectives is the preservation of historical monuments such as landmarked old half-timbered houses. As the association cannot finance the maintainance of all monuments deserving protection, it grants specially precious objects an appropriate award that is sponsored by the Württemberger Hypo, which is an important regional bank. The Ulm Leaning House was granted this award in 1996.

For the association, see Schwäbischer Heimatbund.

Third Inscription

Comment

This German inscription is written in telegram style. To make it more comprehensible I filled in the missing words in square brackets. My English translation takes account of those words added.

This inscription is an expert text that even many German native speakers are not likely to understand. I tried to transpose it into normal speech in my English translation. So, German "angeblattet" is the contrary of "eingezapft" (mortised). Generally it means that one beam is fixed on another by means of wooden nails. That is why I translated it by "nailed", which is not likely to be the right technical term but gives a comprehensible explication.

This inscription shows the problem of defining the age of such an old house. Up to what percentage of replaced or rebuilt elements does the house continue to be the same one? Are there some parts whose physical continuity is substantial for the house's identity? I guess that experts can answer these questions. If you are one of them, please tell us! Thanks a lot in advance!

Blau is the name of the small river that passes alongside the Leaning House and flows into the Danube river less than 50 meters later. This river is famous for its source, which is in a small but picturesque blue (or green) lake, some 15 km from Ulm.

Fourth Inscription

Comment

In modern times, a world record is always a good publicity.

A leaning house can be advantageous for somebody who often drops objects on the floor because all those objects will roll down to the deepest point of the leaning floor... But seriously, how is it possible to live on such floors? I guess they have made special arrangements in the Leaning House in order to have some sort of small horizontal terraces in the rooms. Or what else?

For more information on the Guinness Book of Records, see the English Wikipedia.

Bibliography

Internet

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Arrival by Public Transport

For the arrival in Ulm, see Inscriptions of Ulm.

Exiting the Ulm main station, take the pedestrian subway just in front of you and continue straight ahead in the pedestrian street down to the Glöcklerstraße, where you turn right, then follow the Blau river to the left, pass under the Neue Straße and continue down to the Leaning House, which you will see on the right.

Indications concerning the arrival correspond to our personal knowledge or even experience, but we cannot assume any responsibility for their rightness. When you are reading this page, things may have changed in reality.

Hans-Rudolf Hower, 2012

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Last updated: July 31, 2019