This German church is the tallest in the world. Until Spain's La Sagrada Familia is done, anyway

ULM, Germany (AP) — The Ulmer Münster in southern Germany is the world's tallest church. For now, anyway.

The Gothic-style Lutheran church's reign — begun in May 31, 1890 — could end in 2025, when La Sagrada Familia Basilica's “Tower of Jesus Christ” in Spain is set to be completed. At an eventual 172.5 meters (about 566 feet) high, the Catholic basilica in Barcelona should inch out the Ulmer Münster by a mere 11 meters (36 feet).

But La Sagrada Familia 's construction has taken 142 years and counting. The ultimate completion could come in 2026, 100 years since the death of the original Catalan architect, Antoni Gaudí. Ironically, when the basilica reaches its final height, it will be thanks to a 17-meter (55.77-foot) cross that was made by a German company.

Still, the Ulmer Münster's lead pastor isn't upset.

“I don’t find it all that fascinating that it is the highest church tower in the world," Dean Torsten Krannich told The Associated Press. "The church also lifts my heart up to God. This is simply a wonderful church that invites you to pray and be thankful.”

After all, Ulm will always have Albert Einstein. The physicist was born there in 1879 and lived in Ulm for the first 15 months of his life. His extended family remained, and he returned and climbed the church's tower in 1923.

In addition to a stained glass window inside the Ulmer Münster that features Einstein and other famous scientists, the head of communications for Ulm's tourism board is quick to point out that the rest of the city has “a very high density of art and culture.”

“We can inspire the guests who come here even when we no longer have the highest church in the world, but only have the second-highest,” Dirk Homburg said.

The Ulmer Münster's history dates to 1377, when Ulm's citizens decided to demolish their old parish church. Located outside the city gates, it could be a perilous trek for congregants during the frequent wars of the Middle Ages. The residents chose to finance the building of a new one in the city's center themselves, and planned for it to have the highest spire in the world.

Construction paused in 1543 when, in the wake of the Protestant Reformation, the city's leaders decided to stop the work amid political and economic turbulence. Building resumed in 1844 and by May 31, 1890, the church was complete.

Reaching a record 161.5 meters (530 feet) high, the Ulmer Münster was built deliberately to be taller than the Cologne Cathedral in northwest Germany — which topped out at 157.2 meters (516 feet) in 1880.

Although Ulm was destroyed by a World War II bombing raid in 1944, the church itself remained upright. But the Ulmer Münster’s age, as well as weather impacts and some 1 million annual visitors, mean that construction and restoration occur constantly amid tourism and religious services.

For example, visitors can currently climb 560 stairs to the viewing platform at 102 meters (335 feet). The platform at 143 meters (469 feet) — 768 stairs — is closed due to stairwell repairs.

Krannich said it remains special regardless.

“Whether the tower is now 5 meters (16.4 feet) higher or 5 meters lower, it doesn’t matter to the quality of this church,” he said.

Ursula Heckler, a two-time visitor to the church, said she initially journeyed to Ulm in 2019 because she, like many others who trek there, knew it was the world’s tallest. She doesn't plan to visit La Sagrada Familia when it takes over.

Christos Kalokerinos, a native Ulmer, is unruffled by the looming loss of status.

“There are so many other nice things about the Münster that it’s not really relevant," he said. "I think most people think that way, too. But of course it was also great to brag a bit about the fact that we have the highest church tower — because many, many people don’t necessarily know Ulm that way.”

Indeed, there are few indications of the record in the city. The gift shop inside the church just has a fake fireplace labeled “the world's tallest church,” and the only reference in a tourism store across the street appeared to be a postcard stacking the church's height up against the Great Pyramid of Giza, Big Ben and the Statue of Liberty. All are shorter than the Ulmer Münster.

Apparently the region's residents, known as Swabians, “prefer understatement.”

“They don’t want to tell everyone that they’re the greatest,” Krannich said. “Not everyone needs to know. It’s enough if we know it.”

But next year?

“We're going to involve Albert Einstein a bit more in our marketing,” Homburg said.

AP journalist Kirsten Grieshaber contributed to this report.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Interior view of Ulmer Münster, the world's tallest church, in Ulm, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Interior view of Ulmer Münster, the world's tallest church, in Ulm, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Interior view of Ulmer Münster, the world's tallest church, in Ulm, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Interior view of Ulmer Münster, the world's tallest church, in Ulm, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Interior view of Ulmer Münster, the world's tallest church, in Ulm, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Interior view of Ulmer Münster, the world's tallest church, in Ulm, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Interior view of Ulmer Münster, the world's tallest church, in Ulm, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Interior view of Ulmer Münster, the world's tallest church, in Ulm, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Interior view of Ulmer Münster, the world's tallest church, in Ulm, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Interior view of Ulmer Münster, the world's tallest church, in Ulm, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Exterior view of Ulmer Münster, the world's tallest church, in Ulm, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United States launched a second round of airstrikes on Iran into Thursday morning after U.S. President Donald Trump warned that Tehran would “pay the price” for stalled negotiations, and Iran responded with strikes targeting Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan.

The new U.S. assault across multiple Iranian cities came as efforts to negotiate an end the war again appeared stuck, with Iran insisting it would maintain its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, which has disrupted global energy supplies and sent oil prices higher. The American attack appeared more intense and wider than the day before, but Iran released little information on the extent of the damage.

Kuwait closed its airspace for several hours because of the Thursday morning attack, but did not elaborate on any damage. Jordan didn't acknowledge the attack, though the U.S. Embassy in Amman warned about it. And in Bahrain, its Interior Ministry said an 11-year-old girl had been hurt and cars and homes were damaged by “falling debris” from interceptions targeting the Iranian attack.

The third back-and-forth strikes this week have tested a two-month shaky ceasefire. The first were attacks between Iran and Israel on Sunday into Monday, followed by the two rounds of fire between America and Tehran.

Trump has urged Iran to sign a deal to end the war and suggested earlier this week that an agreement could be reached in days.

But Iran has proved resilient despite weeks of heavy bombing. It is betting that its ability to effectively close the Strait of Hormuz — a crucial passageway for oil and natural gas — gives it a strong bargaining chip.

Still, both countries seem to be looking for a way to end the conflict — if they can manage to sell it as a win at home.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears intent on pursuing goals that make compromise harder: the collapse of Iran’s theocratic government, the elimination of its nuclear program, and the destruction of the Iranian-allied Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon.

The U.S. Central Command said its latest round of airstrikes ended just before sunrise Thursday in Iran. The military command said the strikes came “in response to Iran’s unwarranted and continued aggression” and targeted “Iranian military surveillance capabilities, communication systems and air defense sites.” It did not elaborate on the damage done by the strikes, which it said were carried out by the U.S. Air Force, Marines and Navy.

Explosions from the strikes echoed around Iran’s capital, Tehran, as well as the port city of Bandar Abbas and other southern areas along the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard later said sites hit by the Americans included a manufacturing complex, a military barracks and a local Guard base outside of Tehran.

Iran responded by launching strikes on Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan for a second day.

Israel early Thursday also warned residents in the north to seek shelter after the detection of suspected incoming fire from Lebanon.

Since the U.S. and Israel started the war with Feb. 28 attacks on Iran, the conflict has shaken the global economy, driven up energy prices and made food and other basics more expensive.

The international benchmark for crude oil traded above $93 a barrel on Wednesday, up more than 25% since the start of the war.

Trump said the U.S. military has since last month undertaken a “secret mission” to sneak oil shipments past Iran’s forces in the Strait of Hormuz. He said ships were slipping through at night, aided by the destruction of Iranian radar equipment.

Trump said as a result more than 100 million barrels of oil have evaded Iran’s chokehold on the strait. There was no immediate confirmation of that figure, which roughly equals five days of oil shipments through the waterway before the war began.

The military’s role was not immediately clear. The U.S. Central Command on Wednesday disputed Iran’s claims that the Strait of Hormuz is closed, saying commercial ships are continuing to transit in and out.

Wary of high gas prices in the run-up to midterm elections in November, Trump seems to be looking for a quick win. But he is also making demands that will be tough for Iran to swallow.

The U.S. wants to see Iran give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. While Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful, that uranium is a short technical step from weapons-grade levels.

Iran is refusing to give up the uranium and demanding relief from sanctions. It also wants the release of frozen assets even before a final agreement is in place, something Trump rejected.

Iran has insisted that any deal to end the war must also end fighting between its ally Hezbollah and Israel.

A Qatari diplomatic delegation, negotiating in coordination with the U.S., left Tehran on Thursday morning after holding talks, said an official with knowledge of the team who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the mediation.

Price and Toropin reported from Washington. AP journalist Victoria Eastwood in Cairo contributed to this report.

A woman adjusts her headscarf as she crosses an intersection in northern Tehran, Wednesday, June 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A projectile streaks through the sky over central Israel during an Iranian missile attack, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

A man runs past burning cars following an Israeli airstrike in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Wednesday, June 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

A woman walks past a mural depicting a U.S. aircraft carrier under missile attack in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, June 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A cleric checks his cell phone on stage in front of a screen displaying portraits of the late Iranian revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, left, late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, center, and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, during a pro-government gathering in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)