Örlinger Turm (Werk XXXVIII)

The Örlinger Turm, also called Werk XXXVIII, forms part of the Bundesfestung Ulm, a nineteenth-century fortification system. The tower stands beside the Filstalbahn railway in Ulm. Olt Arlt built the structure in the mid-nineteenth century to protect the railway linking Stuttgart with Ulm. Its open decagonal form distinguishes the tower. Maschikuli are defensive openings that allowed defenders to drop objects onto attackers below the tower. These features are unusual in the region. They connect medieval military practice with the nineteenth-century architecture of this railway fortification. The tower also carries the name Schwedenturm. After the Second World War, the building served as a youth hostel and later as residential accommodation. Its later recorded uses also included residential accommodation. The railway remains beside the building, where passing trains and the absence of safety barriers shape the setting. The railway line remains next to the tower. The open polygonal layout and machicolations show how architectural choices answered the railway’s strategic importance. Werk XXXVIII remains a distinctive historic Ulm landmark.