This medieval Bavarian town sits inside a 14th-century wall, with half-timbered houses and narrow streets built in a 15-million-year-old meteorite crater.
Nördlingen, a medieval town in Bavaria, lies within a 15-million-year-old meteorite crater. When you look closely at the stone buildings, you'll spot millions of microscopic diamonds created by the impact. Walk along intact 14th-century walls, climb 365 steps up the Daniel Tower for views across the crater rim, or examine a piece of moon rock from Apollo 16 at the Ries Crater Museum.
Walking the Medieval Walls
The 2.6-kilometer medieval wall encircles Nördlingen completely, making it one of only three German towns with fully preserved walls, along with Rothenburg ob der Tauber and Dinkelsbühl. Five tower gates from the 14th century mark the entrances to the old town. You'll need about an hour to walk the full circuit, accessing the wall through stairways near the main gates. Stop at the Löpsinger Tower to visit the Wall Museum, where original documents and artifacts explain medieval defense systems.
The Town's Cosmic Origins
A meteorite impact 15 million years ago created the Nördlinger Ries crater, where the town now sits. The collision transformed local graphite deposits into approximately 72,000 tons of microscopic diamonds, each less than 0.2 millimeters across. These diamonds are embedded in the stone used to build many of Nördlingen's buildings, creating a subtle sparkle in direct sunlight. Apollo 14 astronauts trained here because the crater's structure mirrors lunar impact sites.
St. George's Church and Daniel Tower
The 90-meter Daniel Tower rises from St. George's Church in the town center. Built between 1427 and 1505, the tower contains suevite impact breccia and shocked quartz from the meteorite impact. Climb 365 steps to reach an observation platform where the entire crater rim and medieval town spread out below you. Visit the church daily from 9:00 to 17:00, with tower access for 4 euros per adult.
Museums and Cultural Sites
At the Ries Crater Museum, you'll find rock samples, interactive displays, and a moon rock from Apollo 16 explaining the impact event. The Bavarian Railway Museum contains over 200 trains on 5 kilometers of track, including 30 functioning steam locomotives. The City Museum spans four floors with exhibits about the 1634 Battle of Nördlingen and the town's trading history. The Augenblick Museum displays early cinema technology, from magic lanterns to mechanical music boxes.
Getting to Nördlingen
Trains run hourly on weekdays between Nördlingen and both Augsburg and Stuttgart. From the train station, walk 15 minutes to reach the old town center. If driving, take the A7 motorway and park outside the city walls. The nearest airports are Nuremberg (111 kilometers), Stuttgart (150 kilometers), and Munich (152 kilometers).
