Artistic Excursion Neu-Ulm
An event organised by the Edwin Scharff Museum Neu-Ulm, Germany
Curator: Johannes Stahl
Artist: Ivo Weber
Thursday, 11 September 2025
Philipp S. – an emigration story
Donkey sculpture on cart, model of an Ulm punt made of driftwood 85 x 43 x 17 cm (LxWxH)
Start at the Edwin Scharff Museum
This artistic journey tells the story of Philipp S., who set off in 1783 from the Danube island of Schwal near Neu-Ulm with many other emigrants.
Their goal was to find a new home in Hungary and the Banat region, which was heavily promoted in the 18th century under Empress Maria Theresa of Austria through a targeted settlement policy.
Impressions from the excursion to Neu-Ulm, September 2025
Impressions from the excursion to Neu-Ulm, September 2025
A stroll through Neu-Ulm
Nativity scene donkey, a gift from Christoph Martin Wieland to Philipp S.
View of the church in Mettenberg; from ‘History of Mettenberg until 1975’
#1 First stop → Courtyard on Schützenstraße
The early years of Philipp S.
Philipp S. was born in 1762 in Mettenberg near Biberach in Upper Swabia.
He was the eighth of nine children. His grandfather and father were carpenters and ran a farm with five cows, a few pigs and poultry. The economic situation in Further Austria was characterised by poverty.
Philipp S. was unable to learn much at the small village school. However, he was fortunate enough to have a special relationship with the village priest. The clergyman and the poet Christoph Martin Wieland, who was born and lived in Biberach, were close friends, which also had a lasting influence on Philipp S. As a young boy, he was given a nativity scene donkey by the famous poet. At the age of twelve, his schooling ended and he had to work as a farmhand on various farms in the area. Despite his limited education, he had a great passion for literature and poetry, which he cultivated in secret.
Schopperplätze on the opposite side of Ulm, today’s Neu-Ulm; from ‘Aufbruch von Ulm entlang der Donau’ (Departure from Ulm along the Danube), Marie-Kristin Hauke, Klemm+Oelschläger Publishing House
Drawing of an ‘Ulmer Schachtel’ on the Danube, ballpoint pen on cardboard; drawing by Johannes Stahl; 15 x 10 cm
Replica of a pharaoh’s ship, located in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France
#2 Second stop → Schopperplätze on the Danube / Jahnufer
During the reign of Emperor Joseph II, recruiters and agents were sent out specifically to find new colonists to settle in Hungary. Officially, those who wanted to emigrate had to buy their freedom from the authorities. However, some people set off secretly.
Philipp could only take his donkey from his parents‘ farm with him. So he set off for Ulm without any money and found work as an assistant to a baker, where he also found accommodation for himself and his donkey.
Philipp used the donkey to bring bread and soul cakes to the carpenters at the Schopperplätze on the opposite bank of the Danube, where the Zillen boats were built for navigation on the Danube.
It is remarkable that the flat, keel-less construction of the Zillen shows a striking similarity to the millennia-old pharaonic ships of the Nile.
Philipp S.’s curious and open-hearted nature quickly made it easy for him to make contact with the captains of the Danube ships – and ultimately helped him to make a cheap journey to the New World.
Donkey shadows
#3 Third stop → Railing on the banks of the Danube Island Schwal
Martin Wieland’s story ‘The Donkey’s Shadow’ is what drives Philipp S. to emigrate to the metropolis of Pécs in Hungary.
He hopes to find a new perspective on life in this culturally diverse city.
Secretly, he dreams of the theatre.
AI summary of the satire ‘A Certain Dentist…’ by Christoph Martin Wieland:
In this short satire, Wieland tells the absurd story of a wandering dentist named Struthion who lives in the city of Abdera. As he is the only dentist known far and wide, he regularly travels to the fairs in the surrounding towns to sell his tooth powder and miracle cures. On these journeys, he is accompanied by his donkey, who carries him, his medicines and his supplies.
One day, however, the donkey is unable to travel due to the birth of a foal, so Struthion hires another donkey and its handler for one of his trips. During the hot summer journey across a heath, the exhausted dentist searches in vain for shade. Finally, he sits down in the shadow of the hired donkey.
This leads to a bizarre dispute: the donkey driver insists that the shade is not included in the rental agreement and demands additional payment for its use. Struthion refuses indignantly – after all, he rented the whole donkey and therefore also the shade. Since no agreement can be reached, both return to Abdera to take the case to court.
Christoph Martin Wieland (*1733 – 1813) by Ferdinand Jagemann (1805); from Wikipedia
Schwäbische Seelen; spelt flour, yeast, water, caraway seeds and salt
Maxplatz, The City Pier by Josef Legrand; photo by Johannes Stahl
#4 Fourth stop → Maxplatz, Josef Legrand’s Stadtsteg
Philipp S. had already made a name for himself as a baker of Upper Swabian Seelen in Ulm, and this skill also served him well in his adopted home of Hungary.
During a short interlude on the tour, Swabian Seelen are served as a snack on Josef Legrand’s cosy square.
Model of an Ulm barge made of driftwood 85 x 43 x 17 cm (LxWxH)
End-of-day song on the Danube Island Schwal, Neu-Ulm. Photo: Zandra Harms
#5 Fifth stop → The Neu-Ulm Danube Island Schwal
At the end of the tour, a model of an Ulm barge made of driftwood is ceremoniously launched. This is intended to commemorate Philipp S.’s arduous and uncertain journey on the Danube in 1782. The marble plaque embedded in the ground on the banks of the Schwal Island on the Danube also commemorates this special event.
The small box-like structure attached to the raft contains a message in a bottle.
The message asks anyone who finds it to help in various ways to ensure that the vessel reaches its destination. The Art Association in Pécs is the recipient and cooperation partner of this campaign.
→ PDF of the message / message in a bottle
Little is known about the life and work of Phillipp S. in Pécs, Hungary. Various stories and anecdotes surround him and his donkey in the theatre world and how the Swabian spirit found its way into southern Hungary.
This summer, I found the family grave of him and his descendants in the municipal cemetery in Pécs.
However, it is uncertain whether his faithful donkey found its final resting place next to him.
Commemorative plaque at the southern end of the Schwal; marble 30 x 14 x 3 cm
Family grave of Philipp S. at the Central Cemetery in Pécs – Pécsi Köztemetö