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Nördlingen
Nördlingen is a charming town located in the heart of the Donau-Ries district of Bavaria. The city and its surrounding countryside is especially pretty and contains some of Germany's richest farmlands.
The city originated from a Roman castle in the first century, and was an important trading center during the Roman Empire and throughout the Middle Ages
One special feature of Nördlingen is its wonderfully-preserved city wall. Nördlingen is only one of three towns in Germany with an intact city wall - the other two towns being Dinkelsbühl and Rothenburg ob der Tauber. But the Nördlingen city wall is the best preserved and the most complete. The construction of the wall began circa 1327.
Walking the Nördlingen city wall is a treat because the medieval town is separate from more modern construction outside the wall. The walk is less than 3 km and takes about an hour.
Another interesting feature of Nördlingen is that it is located in the middle of the Nördlingen Ries - a giant crater, about 15 miles (25km) wide, formed about 15 million years ago when a large meteorite slammed into the earth at a speed exceeding 40,000 mi/hr (70,000 km/hr).
Pictured above, the Ries crater can be viewed from the site of the Roman Ruins and Ofnet Caves southwest of Nördlingen. For a larger picture of the crater and information about the caves and ruins, including a map, see Caves & Ruins.
Because the Ries crater is similar to many moon craters, the U.S. space program sent Apollo 14 astronauts to Nördlingen in 1970 for training. In return, NASA has permanently loaned the Ries Crater Museum in Nördlingen a moon rock from a later Apollo mission.
Nördlingen is easy to find and parking is available at multiple city gates. Unlike Rothenberg and Dinkelsbühl, Nördlingen is a town in which people live and work. Since it is not solely dedicated to tourism, the town is much less crowded.
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St. Georgskirche (St. George's church) is located in the center of Nördlingen in the Marktplatz, where the main city streets meet. One of Nördlingen's oldest buildings, St. George's Church was built by Nikolaus Eseler, and was constructed between 1427 and 1505.
St. George's is a hall church of German gothic design and features vaults, pillars, wood carvings, and a beautiful organ gallery. Its original high altar was completed by Friedrich Herlin in 1462, and is on display in the Reichsstadtmuseum in Rothenburg. However, a portion of the altarpiece, the Crucifixion by Nikolaus Gerhart van Leydeu, remains in the church and is an amazing work of art. The church also contains a Baroque altarpiece.
Georgskirche is built almost entirely of suevite breccia, a very strong material containing shocked quartz that is only found in meteorite craters.
One of the best reasons to visit Nördlingen is the church's Gothic tower, the "Daniel" - landmark of Nördlingen. The construction of Tower Daniel was begun in 1454 and completed in 1639. Tower Daniel, named for the biblical prophet, stands 295 ft. high (90 meters). One can walk up the 350 steps to the top of the tower and experience marvelous panoramic views of the city and surrounding countryside.
The oldest stone-built house in the city, built in 1313, is the Rathaus, or town hall. It has had several additions and renovations over the centuries. Other famous buildings are the Spital, a former medieval hospital, and St. Salvator Church.
There are numerous 16th- and 17th-century houses in Nördlingen - some displaying original Fachwerk.
Interesting museums include the Nördlingen City Museum (Stadtmuseum) and the Nördlingen City Wall Museum (Stadtmauermuseum), the Augenblick museum, and the Bavarian Railway Museum.
There is a lot of wonderful information on the Nördlingen website, with translations available in English, French, and Italian. Click Places of Interest to read about the various historical buildings in Nördlingen.