Green Courtyard

The ›Grüner Hof‹ is one of Ulm´s oldest communities. During the course of the town's expansion in the Stauffer period, it was incorporated into the fortified town. It is thought to be on the site of the ›Reichenauer Hof‹, a branch of the Cloister from Reichenau Island, after which the buildings were then named.

The oldest preserved parts originate from 1380 and contain a lowered ground floor, which is completely decorated with paintings and which used to serve as a festival room.
In close proximity is the auxiliary branch of Cloister Ochsenhausen, built in 1495.

To the north is Ulm´s oldest church building, the Romanesque Nikolaus Chapel, built in 1222 and the stone house of the same age, of which the north and west walls are still preserved. The original roman nave walls and choir-arch have been preserved, the paintings in the choir stalls and the level ceiling of the nave originate from 1388. On the south side of the building, which was built in 1488 and redesigned in the classical style in 1794, one of at least five, late gothic, ornamental windows has been exposed.

Nowadays, the courtyard is a favourite location for open-air theatre performances.