Nördlingen

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Nördlingen

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Nördlingen – a beautiful German town

Fifteen million years ago, a 1 kilometer-wide meteorite raced down towards the Earth at a cosmic speed of 70,000 kilometers per hour and hit the surface, penetrating the earth’s crust to a 1000-meter depth, thus creating a crater 15 miles (25 kilometers) wide, in which sits the small, but beautiful, town of Nördlingen. It is an unbelievable fact, to be sure! Let’s find out more about this beautiful German town!

Location:

The town of Nördlingen is situated in the district of Donau-Ries in the Swabia (Schwaben) region of Bavaria, southern Germany. Positioned on the Romantic Road to the south of Dinkelsbühl and Rothenburg, it is populated by around 20,000 people. The crater in which the town rests is formally known as the ‘Meteorite Crater Nördlinger Ries.’ About 42 kilometers to the southwest of Nördlingen in the Ries Basin, another crater, called the ‘Steinheimer Basin,’ created by the meteorite. These two are the only collision formations in Germany to have been confirmed.

Weather:

The warmest months in Nördlingen are June, July, and August with temperatures ranging from 17 to 23 degrees Celsius, the coldest months are January and February, at which time the temperatures drops to 0.4 and even -3 degrees Celsius. During September, the town receives the lowest amount of rainfall.

History:

The term ‘Nördlingen’ was first referred to in 898 as ‘Nordilinga’. Nördlingen used to be a trading center of tremendous importance during the Roman Empire and through the Medieval Period. Frederick II, the then Holy Roman Emperor and King of Sicily, proclaimed Nördlingen to be a Free City in 1215. The city became one of the first to have embraced Protestantism, and in 1604, one of the first presentations outside England of a Shakespearean play (‘Romeo and Juliet’) was performed here. During the famous Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648), two Battles of Nördlingen occurred in 1634 and 1645, leading to the reducing significance of the town. In 1802, Nördlingen became a part of Bavaria and remains so. 1970 saw the US send Apollo 14 astronauts to this township for training in the Ries crater, as it resembles moon craters, and the 1100th anniversary of Nördlingen was celebrated in 1998.

The city:

Nördlingen is one of the only remaining cities in Germany to be still surrounded by a town wall. A walk on the wall for approximately 2.7 kilometers takes an hour.

Nördlingen’s 295 feet (90 meters) high landmark, the steeple of St. Georgskirche called the ‘Daniel’ Tower, was built from 1454 to 1639. After climbing the 350 steep steps to the top of this bell tower, you perceive the red gable roofs of innumerous houses, the ring of the crater surrounding the town, and beyond that, the lush green countryside. Most of the houses represent genuine timbering or Fachwerk.

St. George’s Church (St. Georgskirche) is located in the Marktplatz at the center of Nördlingen. Built by Nikolaus Eseler between 1427 and 1505, it depicts German Gothic interior design with vaults, high pillars and a Baroque altarbild (altarpiece). The Crucifixion, a section of this altarpiece, is a remarkable objet d’art. Much of the church is made up of ‘suevite breccia’, a type of rock formed due to the impact of the meteorite hitting the earth’s surface. 72,000 tons of diamonds were also formed when a local accumulation of graphite came under this impact. Buildings constructed with this stone in Nördlingen consist of these minute diamonds in countless quantities.

Travelling to Nördlingen:

The Nördlingen railway station lies to the east of the town. You can also board a Touring Europabus, which plies daily on the Romantic Road. Alternatively, you need to catch the Verkehrsverbund Grossraum Nürenberg (VGN), local bus number 501, which runs between the Rathaus in Nördlingen, and Dinkelsbühl.

Travelling in the city:

Nothing is better than a good, peaceful stroll through this picturesque town of Nördlingen. The Nördlingen Tourist Office in summer offers guided tours every day at 2:00 pm and 8:30 pm for only 3 euros. If you want, you can also rent a bicycle from Radsport Böckle at a price of 8 euros per day.

Why Visit?

Since most of the houses and buildings in Nördlingen date back to the 14th and the 15th centuries, you get an opportunity to travel back in time all through the Reformation, the Renaissance, the Middle Ages and the Roman period. Isn’t it exciting?

Furthermore, Nördlingen celebrates a variety of festivals round the year. The Cittaslow Festival, organized by the City Marketing Association takes place every 1 or 2 years for three days, usually in August, to celebrate the sustainability of Nördlingen’s traditions and heritage. There is music, dance, speeches, fireworks, and even an artificial sky called ‘Magic Sky.’ Are you in Festtagsstimmung and holiday mood? Go for this festival!

The Stabenfest Festival has been traditionally observed in Nördlingen since the Medieval period. During this time, children parade through the town and indulge in “rod-climbing” activities- a tree trunk has to be clambered up to the top, to which a metal ring is fixed, taking which, you get prizes and coupons! There are beer tents and beer gardens to add to the festivities.

The “Alte Bastei” or Old Bastion is an open-air theater (Freilichtbühne) at which musicals, historical plays, folklore and children’s plays have been acted out since 1949. Moreover, from November to December every year, the Romantic Christmas Market, with its twinkling Christmas lights, nativity plays and concerts, becomes a sight to see, and no wonder, for it is one of the best markets in Swabia. You can wander around the market from 11:00 am till 7 or 8 pm and enjoy shopping.

Major Attractions:

Following are the chief tourist attractions in Nördlingen:-

  • The Ries Crater Museum (Rieskrater Museum) – At this museum, you can obtain useful information regarding rocks, fossils, meteorites and also the huge crater’s history. Guided tours, exhibitions, and publications are provided for to make you understand better. In the months from November to April, it remains open from 10:00 am till 12:00 pm and then from 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm. From May to October, you can visit the museum from 10:00 am till 4:30 pm. The museum is to be viewed only on Tuesdays and Sundays.
  • The Geopark Information Center – Situated next to the Rieskrater Museum, it provides you a summary of the crater’s archaeology and history. You get admitted inside the center for free on Tuesdays and Sundays from 10:00 am till 4:30 pm.
  • The Nördlingen City Wall Museum (Stadtmauermuseum) – In here, you can acquire some valuable pieces of information on the economic growth and development of Nördlingen through the ages. Located near the Rieskrater Museum to the north of Nördlingen, this museum is in the Löpsinger Gate Tower.
  • The Bavarian Railway Museum (Bayerische Eisenbahnmuseum) – Built in an old depot at Nördlingen called the Bahnbetriebswerk; this museum has been in operation since 1985. It still works historical steam trains (Museumsbahn) on the ‘Romantic Rail’ route which links the three towns of Nördlingen, Feuchtwangen, and Dinkelsbühl, particularly during Easter.
  • “Augenblick” Museum – With magical lanterns, silent films and musical instruments of old, including the gramophone, the Museum “instant” is the perfect place for family gatherings.
  • The Tanzhaus (dancing house) or Brothaus (bread house) – A 15th-century building, it was used as a site for cloth-trading, and later, as a bakehouse.
  • The Kriegerbrunnen or Warriors’ Fountain – In honor of the deceased during the Franco-Prussian War, it was put up at the beginning of the 20th
  • The Rathaus or Town Hall – Initially, the Counts of Oettingen dwelt in this place, but after Nördlingen took over the building in the 14th century, it has since been run as a chamber for the council. This town hall boasts of being the oldest construction in Nördlingen to have been built of stone.
  • The Hafenmarkt’s Hafen or port  – A former selling site used by potters, this place was close to feather and salt markets and the warehouse where corn was stored. Now, you get to see picturesque old houses and admire their architecture.
  • The Reimlinger Tor – This, being the oldest gateway of Nördlingen, allows you to gain access to Augsburg and the south.
  • The Alte Schranne – A former storehouse for corn, you can stroll through the market there at present.
  • The Klösterle – This used to be an Abbey before the Protestant Reformation movement.
  • The Neumühle or New Mill – Now a personal residence, the New Mill had been a water mill in the ancient times.

What More is Around?

  • The Roman Ruins or Roman Villa Rustica
  • The Ofnet Caves
  • Donauwörth
  • Schloss Harburg (Harburg Castle)

So go ahead and plan a trip to this amazing town and explore the various tourist locations with family and friends. This place has enough to keep you enchanted for the rest of your life! So the next time you’re picking a holiday location, don’t forget to consider Nordlingen to that list; you won’t regret it.