Stürmt die Burg — Wilhelmsburg Culture Festival

Pop-up cultural space in a 19th-century fortress

The Wilhelmsburg in Ulm is one of the largest fortresses from the mid-19th century in Germany — part of the Ulm Federal Fortress, built as a military defensive wall for the German Confederation. Since the end of its military use, the complex has increasingly transformed into a cultural space. The annual 'Stürmt die Burg' cultural festival — in its 9th edition in 2026 from July 23 to August 9 — brings this vision to life for three weeks each summer.

Program Lines — Music, Theater, Readings, Art

Several parallel program strands are created on the fortress grounds: live music with national and international acts (indie, jazz, folk, pop, occasional classical) as well as regional artists; theater performances by independent groups and established ensembles; readings and discussions with female authors, scientists, and social activists; art installations in the vaults and rooms of the fortress; a dense family program with children's theater, workshops, and hands-on activities.

Open Tower 2.0 — interactive installations

A special feature of the 2026 edition is Open Tower 2.0 — an expansion of the previous Tower program. Interactive installations, open artist studios, demonstration workshops with Ulm craftspeople, and formats combining science, art, and technology are created in the towers and vaults of the fortress — from light installations to generative computer art. Those who climb the towers experience multi-layered spaces between historic masonry and contemporary art.

Bar on the Towers with Panoramic Views

A highly sought-after element is the rooftop bar on the fortress towers, with panoramic views over Ulm, the Ulm Minster (world's tallest church tower), and the Danube plain to the Swabian Jura. On summer evenings at sunset, it is one of the most spectacular viewpoints in the city — and a direct meeting point for the festival audience before and after the events.

Opening Days and Wilhelmsburg Location

The festival is not open continuously — the Wilhelmsburg operates in festival mode on specific weekdays: Thursdays 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM, Fridays and Saturdays 6:00 PM to 12:00 AM, Sundays 2:00 PM to 9:00 PM. The fortress is located at Prittwitzstraße 100 in the north of Ulm, high above the Danube opposite the old town — a walk from the Minster takes about 25 minutes and is part of the experience.

Ulm — Minster, Danube, and Fortress City

Ulm, in the district of Ulm in the state of Baden-Württemberg, is the largest city on the Danube in southern Germany with 130,000 inhabitants — known primarily for the Ulm Minster with the world's tallest church tower. In the 19th century, Ulm was a federal fortress; the Wilhelmsburg and other fortress structures are now part of a fortress trail and thus a unique urban feature of Ulm. 'Stürmt die Burg' makes this military-historical substance accessible for contemporary culture — one of the most exciting connections between cultural heritage and festival programming in all of southern Germany.