Urine is eroding the world’s tallest church tower

The tallest church in the world is under attack – and the aggressor is human urine.

The magnificent 531-feet-tall (162-meter) steeple of Ulm Minster dominates the German city of Ulm, which lies on the River Danube in Baden-Württemberg.

But now officials responsible for its upkeep say the stone base of the Gothic tower, which has long acted as a lightning rod to late-night revelers looking to relieve themselves, is being eroded by salt and acids in the urine, Südwest Presse reports.

“Wildpinkler,” as al fresco micturition is known in Germany, has become such a problem that earlier this year the city doubled fines to 100 euros ($109) for anyone caught in the act.

“I’ve been keeping an eye on it for half a year now and, once again, it’s coated with urine and vomit,” Michael Hilbert, the building’s head of maintenance, told Südwest Presse. “This is about preserving law and order.”

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With festive season just around the corner, and a wine festival and Christmas market scheduled to take place in the Münsterplatz town square, Hilbert says organizers need to take responsibility for supplying public toilets.

A city spokeswoman admitted to Südwest Presse that “as long as there are people,” a workable solution will be hard to find.

She told the paper that “the city does very well” in its efforts to address the problem, but while police patrols have been increased and event organizers are well aware of the situation, the imposition of higher fines has so far been unable to halt the tide.

However, answering the call of nature in the great outdoors doesn’t always have to be destructive.

It can even be quite beautiful, when directed into the right receptacle.

As inspiration to the people of Ulm, here are a selection of photos from Lonely Planet’s new book “Toilets: A Spotter’s Guide,” featuring more than 100 interesting restrooms from around the world.

Bernhard S. via Lonely Planet

Thiksey Monastery, Ladakh, India: Lamas at this Tibetan Buddhist monastery get to be at one with everything even during bathroom breaks. Their "panoramic toilet" is one of more than 100 included in Lonely Planet's "Toilets: A Spotter's Guide." (Picture credit: 500px)

Sunny Awazuhara- Reed / Design Pics / Getty Images

Log outhouse, Chena Hot Springs Resort, Alaska: This employees-only wooden washroom helps cut down on yellow snow at Alaska's Chena Hot Springs Resort. (Picture credit: 500px)

Janne Mankinen via Lonely Planet

Enontekio, Finland: This remote Arctic outhouse, offering a view of Finland's Salmivaara Fell, lies on Europe's most northerly hiking trail. (Picture credit: 500px)

Thomas Mahring via Lonely Planet

Toilet island near Placencia, Belize: Inevitably, this one will be used at the precise moment the rescue helicopter flies overhead. (Picture credit: 500px)

Marco Stupan via Lonely Planet

Krafla, Iceland: The shower seems to be fed by geothermal waters, so no need to worry about flushing the toilet if someone's using it. (Picture credit: 500px)

Thomas Heinze via Lonely Planet

Jericoacoara Beach, Brazil: Twenty years ago, this beautiful "undiscovered" beach was largely deserted. Now look at it. (Picture credit: 500px)

Lucio Valmaggia via Lonely Planet

Chott el Djerid, Tunisia: These roadside "comfort toilets" stand near the Tunisian desert film location of "Star Wars." Insert your own "use the Force" joke here. (Picture credit: 500px)

David Ruiz Luna via Lonely Planet

Sagarmatha National Park, Nepal: At 6,812 meters, Nepal's Ama Dablam is no Everest. But the plumbing is better. (Picture credit: 500px)

James Capo via Lonely Planet

Tonto Trail, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona: The towering walls of the Grand Canyon failed to inspire the people who built these privacy-lite campsite toilets. (Picture credit: 500px)

Trevor Holder via Lonely Planet

Encounter Bay, Australia: This bushland eco-toilet serves the surfers and anglers using Waitpinga Beach on Australia's Fleurieu Peninsula. (Picture credit: 500px)

Jan Philipp Kohrs via Lonely Planet

Taroko National Park, Taiwan: There's no shortage of running water at this bathroom on the Baiyang Waterfall Trail in Taiwan. (Picture credit: 500px)

Jorn Eriksson via Lonely Planet

Barafu Camp, Tanzania: Losing anything down the toilet is bad news. More so when it leads to a 4,600-meter drop off the side of Mount Kilimanjaro. (Picture credit: 500px)

Chris Kolaczan

Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, Canada: Twice-daily tides wash away the waste from this wooden outhouse. (Picture credit: 500px)

Werner Monatsspruch via Lonely Planet

Sony Center, Berlin: Standing around trying not to make eye contact with other men has never been so cool. (Picture credit: 500px)

Fran(E)K S via Lonely Planet

Red Woods Toilets, Rotorua, New Zealand: These public toilets are encased in shrouds designed by Maori artist Kereama Taepa. Each depicts an extinct or endangered native bird. (Picture credit: 500px)

Olaf Menz via Lonely Planet

Jonsknuten, Kongsberg, Norway: There's no view of the 904-meter Jonsknuten mountain, unless the door is left open. But as Lonely Planet points out, the chances of being disturbed are minimal. (Picture credit: 500px)

Gisli Hjalmar Svensden via Lonely Planet

Fjallabak Nature Reserve, Iceland: Forget the petrified lava, the real attraction of the Laugahraun hiking trail is this triangular toilet. (Picture credit: 500px)

Susan Breau via Lonely Planet

Taylor Arm Provincial Park, British Columbia: The less said about bears, the better. (Picture credit: 500px)

Al Sol via Lonely Planet

Fountain of Toilets, Foshan, China: This flushing fountain made of 10,000 toilets celebrates Foshan's role as the ceramic capital of the world. It's the work of Chinese artist Shu Yong. (Picture credit: 500px)

Adam Jamieson / Getty Images

Prototype space toilet: This suction-powered facility is designed to help astronauts do their business in zero gravity. (Picture credit: 500px)