Wilhelmsburg was built from 1842 to 1849 as the Citadel's reduit. The Citadel comprised work XII of the Wilhelmsburg and works XIII to XVIII of Fort Wilhelm and was the largest of the town-wall fortifications. In contrast to all the other works; the ›Wilhelmsburg‹ had no ramparts and consisted only of four re-inforced bunkers in the three towers. Over the decades, different regiments and units were stationed here.
After the Second World War, the Wilhelmsburg was officially used as a refugee camp, although several citizens of Ulm, whose homes had been bombed or requisitioned, also took shelter here. At any one time, a total of almost 3,000 people lived in the ›Wilhelmsburg‹, which had its own shop, post office and school.
In 1956, the newly formed German army moved in and up until 1970, soldiers were still stationed in the bunkers of the Wilhelmsburg.
Since then, the more than 570 rooms have been empty, apart from a few that have been rented out to companies.
References:The Church of St Donatus name refers to Donatus of Zadar, who began construction on this church in the 9th century and ended it on the northeastern part of the Roman forum. It is the largest Pre-Romanesque building in Croatia.
The beginning of the building of the church was placed to the second half of the 8th century, and it is supposed to have been completed in the 9th century. The Zadar bishop and diplomat Donat (8th and 9th centuries) is credited with the building of the church. He led the representations of the Dalmatian cities to Constantinople and Charles the Great, which is why this church bears slight resemblance to Charlemagne's court chapels, especially the one in Aachen, and also to the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. It belongs to the Pre-Romanesque architectural period.
The circular church, formerly domed, is 27 m high and is characterised by simplicity and technical primitivism.