It is situated on the left bank of the Danube, in a fertile plain at the foot of the Swabian Jura.

Its trade and commerce prospered, peaking in the 15th century, ruling over a district about 300 square miles (780 km2).

In 1802 it lost its Imperial immediacy and passed to Electorate of Bavaria, being ceded to Kingdom of Württemberg in 1810.

In October 1805 General Karl Mack von Leiberich and his 23,000 Austrian troops capitulated to Napoleon here.

Ulm is remarkable in the history of German literature as the spot where the Meistersingers lingered longest, orally preserving the traditional folklore of their craft.