What Birds Can Teach Us

Tweet

If you travel from the city of Stuttgart to Munich, maybe to attend the Octoberfest, you’ll pass the city of Ulm. It’s nearly in the middle between the two cities. It lies on the banks of the river Danube which starts in Germany and flows into the Black Sea after 2860 km. It’s the second longest river in Europe after the Volga in Russia. Ulm has about 100.000 inhabitants and is a lively centre for the surrounding countryside. The Ulmer Münster can already be seen from very far away. When we come to the central square of Ulm, we see it towering in front of us. In the South of Germany cathedrals are called 'Münster', in the North ‘Dom’. It is the second largest example of Gothic ecclesiastical architecture in Germany after the Cathedral in Cologne and has the highest steeple worldwide. It was begun in 1377 and only completed in 1890. It was begun as a Catholic church and completed as a Protestant one. The builders were so slow that the Reformation took place and the denomination changed. (I find this funny). That this fine church wasn’t destroyed during the war, has been seen by many as an act of God. Take your time and look up, binoculars would be helpful. Can you see the biblical figures round the portal, the gargoyles on the roof? Let’s go inside and have a look at the wooden choir stalls with the carved busts of the heads of the wealthy families whose pews they adorned. You’re interested in the latest head wear chic of the 15th century? You’ve got it here. If you don’t suffer from vertigo, you must climb up the 768 steps to the top of the spire! I haven’t done so, because I do suffer. From hearsay I know, however, that it’s worthwhile. In the right weather conditions you can even see as far as the Alps. Are you looking for a genuine souvenir? Take the Ulmer Spatz, the Sparrow of Ulm. You can find it in all kinds of material and sizes. It doesn’t matter what it’s made of or looks like, it always has a stalk of straw in its beak. When the cathedral was built, some workmen were carrying a long beam of wood and tried to enter a narrow passageway marching forward side by side, not one behind the other. They crashed the beam into the walls beside the opening and didn’t know what to do. In what way could they get the beam into the building? Suddenly they noticed a sparrow carrying a stalk of straw trying to get into a gap between tow stones. I turned its head to the side and moved the stalk in tip first. AHA! That was the trick! Up to today the people of Ulm celebrate their ability to watch and learn!