From the 42-metre-high Löpsinger Gate Tower, you can look out over the historic old town and the meteorite crater. This view brings together two defining themes of Nördlingen: the city’s history and the geology of the Ries. Your stay can focus on different things—from exploring the old town and visiting museums to joining guided tours on a clearly defined topic.
The Ries Crater and its geological context
The Ries Crater Museum explores the formation of impact craters in general and the Nördlingen Ries in particular in six rooms. One focus is the asteroid impact 15 million years ago and its effects on the planet and Earth. Meteorites, fossils and a piece of genuine moon rock round out the exhibition. The museum thus focuses both on the specific event and its broader context.
A Geopark information centre is located right next to the museum. It gives visitors a concise overview of the geology, archaeology and settlement history of the Ries. The two institutions therefore have different emphases: the museum covers impact craters and the Ries event, while the information centre links geology with the history of human settlement.
The Ries Crater Museum offers bookable guided tours tailored to groups. Excursions to quarries and geological sites in the Ries area can be arranged subject to availability and by agreement. If you are planning a group tour or excursion, confirm the options and arrangements in advance.
City Walls, Church and Old Town
St. George’s Church is considered a Late Gothic hall church; its 90-metre-high bell tower is known as “Daniel”. Open guided tours provide information about the architecture and building history, as well as features such as the pulpit, high altar, choir stalls, baptismal font and organs. A visit therefore takes in everything from the building’s design to individual elements of its furnishings.
A roughly one-hour historical walking tour leads through Nördlingen’s medieval streets and lanes. Stops include the city walls, the tanners’ quarter and the market square with its imposing buildings. Nördlingen also offers city tours on set dates, opportunities to explore the Ries Geopark, torchlight tours and themed tours. Check the dates in advance for the tour that interests you.
The Town Museum in the Holy Spirit Hospital offers another perspective on the city’s history: as part of a guided tour, visitors learn about the otherwise inaccessible dungeon beneath Nördlingen Town Hall, known as the “Loch” (“Hole”), and then experience it using a VR headset. The focus here is not on a walk through the old town, but on presenting a specific place through a digital experience.
Nördlingen within the wider Donau-Ries travel destination
The Ries Geopark, with the Ries Crater formed by a meteorite impact, is a tourist attraction within the wider Donau-Ries travel destination. Nördlingen’s medieval city walls are another of the town’s distinctive historical features: they remain completely intact and can be walked in their entirety.
The Town Museum in Nördlingen covers the lives and beliefs of the people of Nördlingen, the changes brought about by the Reformation, the Thirty Years’ War and the 1634 Battle of Nördlingen. A collection more than 150 years old is displayed across four floors. The museum illustrates the battle with a model featuring around 6,000 tin soldiers. In this way, the city’s history complements the story of the Ries event with developments that shaped life in Nördlingen and its past.
When planning your trip, you could start by asking which focus you want to shape your stay: the medieval town, the history of the Ries Crater, or both. The options range from the roughly one-hour city tour and church tours to museum exhibits, each with its own focus.
Discover more destinations: Fremdingen, Monheim, Tapfheim, Donauwörth, Ehingen Am Ries, Wallerstein, Ries, Oettingen In Bayern
Back to the overview of the wider destination: Donau-Ries.
