Those considering Mertingen as a travel destination will find two clear points of interest: three museums in the town and numerous hiking destinations in the 600-hectare Mertingen Forest. You can therefore choose where to visit based on your interest in culture or time in the forest. The Bavarian Centre of Excellence for Equestrian Sports and Vaulting is also based in Mertingen.
Museums and Mertingen Forest
Sölde Mertingen, Stadel Mertingen and Alte Schule Mertingen are the three museums in Mertingen that invite visitors to explore. For anyone wishing to include culture in their choice of destination, these are three specific museums to choose from. When planning your visit, you can make a museum visit a focus in its own right and set it alongside hiking in the forest.
The numerous forest paths in the 600-hectare Mertingen Forest are hiking destinations. The size of the woodland makes the forest a destination in its own right for anyone wishing to centre their stay on hiking. Alongside the museums and forest, equestrian sports and vaulting at the Centre of Excellence are also among Mertingen’s notable attractions.
Donau-Ries: Geology and History
In the wider Donau-Ries travel region, the range of topics expands to include the formation of the Ries. The Ries Geopark, with the Ries Crater formed by a meteorite impact, is a tourist attraction. The RiesKraterMuseum explores the asteroid impact that created the Nördlinger Ries, as well as its cosmic background and effects that continue to this day. Exhibits include meteorites, fossils, a piece of genuine moon rock, information panels and multimedia offerings. The Ries event is presented in a meticulously renovated medieval barn dating from 1503. The Kühstein Geopark nature trail offers a deeper look at the geology, with eight panels describing the events and processes of the impact 14.5 million years ago. From Buchberg, visitors can enjoy a panorama of the Ries and its inner and outer crater rims.
In Nördlingen, the medieval town wall is fully preserved and can be walked in its entirety. The town museum explores the lives and beliefs of Nördlingen’s residents, changes during the Reformation, the Thirty Years’ War and the 1634 Battle of Nördlingen. Its collection, which is more than 150 years old, is displayed across four floors. A model made from around 6,000 tin figures illustrates the battle. In Donau-Ries, a historic structure that visitors can walk along and a diverse museum collection are complemented by a detailed account of a single event.
The Maria BrĂĽnnlein pilgrimage basilica in Wemding offers a religious and architectural highlight. The Rococo church was built between 1748 and 1782 to plans by Franz Joseph Roth, while the flow of pilgrims was growing. Its shrine altar is a fountain altar featuring the miraculous Madonna by Johann Joseph Mayr, dating from 1755; Ernst Steinacker created the altar table with its fountain basin in 1953. In 1998, Pope John Paul II elevated the basilica to the status of a Basilica minor. Around 150,000 pilgrims visit every year. Also in Wemding, eleven informative panels along the Sagenweg, researched and written with scholarly rigour, explore geology, history and local tales.
Discover more destinations: Oberndorf Am Lech, Harburg, Asbach-Bäumenheim, Oettingen In Bayern, Rain, Wemding, Wallerstein, Kaisheim.
Go to the main travel overview: Donau-Ries.
