Memmingen combines a well-preserved city wall and historic houses with a programme of contemporary art. The city offers a range of ways to explore this—from an exhibition area devoted to its history as an Imperial City to a cycling tour that starts at the market square.
City Walls and Architectural History
The kilometre-long, well-preserved city wall surrounds Memmingen’s old town. Its history includes seven gates and 26 towers; it is considered the city’s largest monument. The gates, towers and wall also shape the old town’s historic views, which bring together colourful façades, magnificent buildings and traditional craftsmen’s quarters. Preserved or restored structures stand alongside the city’s historic urban fabric.
The Siebendächerhaus reveals a special purpose from the past: tanners originally used the building to dry leather and hides in the attic. Its half-timbered structure dates from 1601. The building was badly damaged in 1945 and subsequently rebuilt; today it is considered one of Memmingen’s landmarks. The Town Hall and the Kramerzunft provide further points of reference. The Town Hall is a late-medieval building dating from 1488, whose south façade was designed in the Rococo style in 1765. The Kramerzunft has been a guildhall for merchants since 1478. In 1525, Upper Swabian peasants gathered there; the Twelve Articles were written at this location.
Museums and Contemporary Art
Memmingen’s museums are centrally located in the old town; their buildings and collections complement one another in a striking way. At the town museum, the exhibition area “Life in the Imperial City of Memmingen” offers an immersive encounter with the city’s history. The MEWO Kunsthalle is dedicated to contemporary art: since 2005, it has presented a programme of up to ten exhibitions a year. As exhibition dates may change, it is worth checking the current programme before your visit.
The buildings themselves also tell the story of their different uses. The Antonierhaus is located in a former hospital complex belonging to the Order of St Anthony, dating from the 15th century, and today houses the city library and two museums. The Hermansbau, built in 1766 by Baron Benedikt von Herman as a town residence, houses the town museum and the Freudenthal/Altvater local history museum; admission is free. When planning, you can therefore decide whether you are interested in an encounter with the history of the Imperial City, contemporary art, or several collections in historic buildings.
Old Town Routes and Guided Tours
The Green Route follows the city wall through various parks and green spaces. It is well signposted and provides information about the surviving gates and towers. Away from the pedestrian zone, the route is also suitable for families with children and wagons. Another way to explore the old town is the Red Route: the free Lauschtour app turns it into a personal audio guide featuring information and anecdotes from the city guides. Check before your trip whether the app is available.
For the St. Martin’s tower tours, a tower guide meets visitors at the tower entrance on Zangmeisterstraße and shares fascinating details about the tower’s history as they climb. In good weather, the view stretches as far as the Alps. Themed city tours are also offered in spooky, culinary, historical and child-friendly formats, sometimes including the city wall. Dates for individual tours vary, so check in advance which options are scheduled during your stay.
Cycling and Getting Here
The “Rural Culture and River Delights” cycling tour starts and ends at the market square. It is 31.7 kilometres long and takes about two hours. The route runs mostly along well-maintained forest and agricultural roads, is rated easy, and is suitable for touring bikes, trekking bikes and e-bikes. This information can help you plan the tour as a separate activity and distinguish it from the shorter routes through the city.
The tourism portal presents five individual cycling tours with different lengths, route characteristics and difficulty levels. If you are weighing up different cycling options, this selection gives you more than one route, and the tours do not all have the same duration or level of difficulty. If you are arriving by train, getting between the station and the market square is straightforward: the station is centrally located in the city centre, and the market square is a ten-minute walk from there.
Discover more destinations: Bad Wörishofen, Erkheim, Stetten, Babenhausen, Sontheim, Tussenhausen, Pfaffenhausen, Memmingerberg.
Go to the main travel overview: Unterallgäu.
