Weinhof

Weinhof is a historic square in Ulm, Germany, rising above the Blau at the city’s oldest core. Stone remains and changing building lines reveal its layered past. A record from 854 places a royal palace here, while the medieval fortification included the lookout tower Luginsland. Wine shaped the square from the fourteenth to the nineteenth century. Merchants stored and traded barrels here, linking commerce with political and representative life.

The Schwörhaus houses the House of Urban History and the city archive, while its balcony frames the annual civic oath. The mayor and citizens renew that oath publicly each year. Two oath charters, from 1345 and 1397, recorded the guilds’ growing place in city government. The tradition disappeared after 1802, then returned after the Second World War. In 1949, Mayor Theodor Pfizer restored its democratic meaning, and UNESCO recognises it as intangible cultural heritage. The synagogue uses angular architecture and openings that form Stars of David around its prayer hall. During Nabada, decorated boats turn the river into a public stage.