Wiblingen Monastery

Viblingen Monastery is a huge complex of various structures in the southern suburb of Ulm. On its territory there are several buildings of the Medical University of Ulm, municipal buildings, a museum-library and a Catholic church. It was founded in 1093 before the First Crusade by the brothers Otto and Hartmann Kirchberg. In 1099, construction began, and the First Crusade took place, as a result of which a piece of the Cross was transported, on which Christ was crucified. This valuable part is still kept in the walls of the monastery, and many come to see this “artifact”.

For the next few centuries, the Viblingen Monastery suffered wreckage, destruction, looting, fire and much more, as a result of which it was not possible to preserve it in its original form. It was only in 1714 that the first Baroque construction work began, aimed at reviving the abbey from the ashes. But in 1806, the Viblingen Monastery was dissolved, and in its place soldiers' barracks and ducal residence were placed.

An important part of the monastery is the library. It was built in 1744 and was designed to welcome important guests who were supposed to impress with its poshness and splendor, but everything happened wrong. Today, its walls attract tourists, and on its shelves are majestically placed hundreds of books decorated with a brush by Martin Kuhn and sculptural products by Dominic Herberg.