🪽A tailor who flies? That’s Albrecht Ludwig Berblinger, also known as the “Schneider von Ulm” (Tailor of Ulm). Though he didn’t really fly or glide. When he tried his flying machine in front of a large crowd, he did not glide at all but fell into the Danube and became the laughing stock of the city. The sad thing is that his glider was later tested and it would have worked had Berblinger tried his flying machine under different wind conditions.
Albrecht Ludwig Berblinger
🪡Albrecht Ludwig Berblinger was born in 1770 in Ulm (Baden-Württemberg) and became a master tailor in 1791. He wanted to be a 🕰 clockmaker but as an orphan he didn’t have a say in that matter.
⚙️Berblinger had always been interested in mechanics and tinkered with many different mechanical constructs and inventions. So much so that he gained a certain reputation and had to pay many fines to his guild for working on his side projects.
🦿Among his inventions were leg prosthetics, one even with a joint (1808). But the invention or construct he is known for is his 🪽 flying machine, a hang glider. He worked on it for many years, trying it on hillside to take advantage of the thermal updrafts, improving it over time.
The Flight
🪽When King Frederic I of Württemberg donated money in 1811 to see Berblinger take flight, Berblinger agreed. He wanted to start from the Ulm Minster (100 m) but was advised against it; the city councilmen didn’t think he would be able to survive. Finally, it was agreed that he would fly or glide across the Danube starting from the Adlerbastei (Eagles Bastion). To have better chances to make it across, he built a scaffold to add another 20 meters to the 13 meter high bastion.
🌬 However, Berblinger realized that the winds in that spot were not in his favor. Because of the river and the cold stone of the wall, he couldn’t expect any updrafts but rather the opposite. Berblinger tried to postpone but the wind conditions didn’t change.
Wenn da Unterhaltung wit,
Freud ond viel Vergüoga,
Lenk nach Ulm oa deine Schritt’,
Brauchst grad eta zfliega;
Seit’s dear Schneider hot probiert,
Kois derzua en Gluscht maih geschpürt.
If you want entertainment,
fun and much enjoyment,
bend your steps towards Ulm,
You don’t have to fly;
Since the tailor has tried it,
nobody else wanted to do it anymore
(nobody felt an appetite for it).
🪽The people who had expected him to fly while the King was still in Ulm grew impatient and Berblinger gave in. The King had already left the city but his brothers were still there to see the spectacle. When Berblinger was still hesitating to leap off the scaffold, a policeman shoved him. This took the last bit of chance that Berblinger might have had with a running start.
🪽On June 4, 1811, Berblinger didn’t fly or glide across the Danube but plummeted into the river. While he was saved by the fishermen, his reputation was ruined. People called him a liar and cheater, and his customers stayed away. He died destitute on January 28, 1829.
- Berblinger’s unglückliches Unternehmen als Luftflieger in seiner Positur (Berblinger’s unlucky undertaking as a air flyer in position)
- Das Ufer der Donau mit Zuschauer (bank of the Danube with spectators)
- Die glückliche Rettung des Luftfliegers von den Fischern (The happy rescue of the air flyer by the fishermen)
- Ulm
Undatierter Kupferstich des Flugversuchs Berblingers an der Adlerbastei in Ulm. Stadtarchiv Ulm
Undated Copper engraving
Public Art
In addition to schools and streets named after Berblinger, there are also several public art displays in Ulm.
For Berblinger’s 250th birthday in 2020, the city of Ulm opened the “Berblingerturm”, a circular stair case in the spot where Berblinger took flight. It is 20 meters tall with a 10% incline and 80 stairs. While it is an art installation, designed by Johannes Brunner and Rix of Munich, you can climb it and enjoy a great aerial view of Ulm. But beware, the tower wobbles slightly, though this is by design – to help you feel like Berblinger – and totally safe.
When visiting the Ulm townhall, you can see a replica of Berblinger’s flying machine. “Hommage an Berblinger” is a kinetic sculpture by Hans-Michael Kissel. Close the Berblinger Tower, you can also find the sculpture of large scissors.
In 2022, a wooden sculpture of the “Schneider von Ulm” was given to the Museum Ulm through the Monuments Men and Women Foundation. U.S. air force pilot James Kunkle was stationed in Ramersdorf, Germany, after World War II, and his wife, Marian, also lived in Germany in 1947. One day, an unknown woman came to the door wishing to exchange the statue for cigarettes. The Kunkles took the “flying tailor of Ulm’ back with them to the United States where it remained until it was given to the Foundation. After researching the origins, they came to the conclusion that the sculpture didn’t come from a museum but was possibly part of a private collection. It was then decided to return the tailor to Ulm and in 2022, the Museum Ulm received it.
Literature
📖 In 1906, writer and engineer Max Eyth published a historical novel about Berblinger called “Der Schneider von Ulm. Geschichte eines zweihundert Jahre zu früh Geborenen” (The Tailor of Ulm. Story of a person born two-hundred years too early.) You can read it here in German.
📖 There are multiple biographies about Albrecht Ludwig Berblinger, and he is mentioned in compilations about aviation and the city of Ulm.
📖 Berblinger’s life also served for songs, audioplays, plays, and poetry. The most known poem is by Bert Brecht from 1934 called “Ulm 1592” in which Berblinger tells a bishop that he can fly. The bishop disagrees and says that humans will never fly. He repeats this sentiment after the people tell him that the tailor has died trying to fly.
Bert Brecht: Ulm 1592
Sagte der Schneider zum Bischof.
Paß auf, wie ich’s mach!
Und der stieg mit so ’nen Dingen
Die aussahn wie Schwingen
Auf das große, große Kirchendach.
Der Bischof ging weiter.
Das sind lauter so Lügen
Der Mensch ist kein Vogel
Es wird nie ein Mensch fliegen
Sagte der Bischof vom Schneider.
Der Schneider ist verschieden
Sagten die Leute dem Bischof.
Es war eine Hatz.
Seine Flügel sind zerspellet
Und er liegt zerschellet
Auf dem harten, harten Kirchenplatz.
Die Glocken sollen läuten
Es waren nichts als Lügen
Der Mensch ist kein Vogel
Es wird nie ein Mensch fliegen
Sagte der Bischof den Leuten.
Movie
🎬 Edgar Reitz directed the movie “Der Schneider von Ulm” with Thilo Prückner as Albrecht Ludwig Berblinger. The West German movie came out in 1978 and was not successful. If you want to watch it, you can do so here:
Sources and Resources
- Wiki – Albrecht Ludwig Berblinger
- Monuments Men and Women – Return of a wooden sculpture to Ulm
- YouTube Playlist
- Ulm.de
- ARD Retro: Der Schneider von Ulm
