Rieskrater Museum

Nördlingen (German: [ˈnœʁt.lɪŋ.ən] ; Swabian: Nearle or Nearleng) is a town in the Donau-Ries district, in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, with a population of approximately 20,674. It is located approximately 115 km (71 mi) east of Stuttgart, and 145 km (90 mi) northwest of Munich. It was built in an impact crater 15 million years old and 25 km in diameter—the Nördlinger Ries—of a meteorite which hit with an estimated speed of 70,000 km/h, and left the area riddled with an estimated 72,000 tons of micro-diamonds.Nördlingen was first mentioned in recorded history in 898. The town was the location of two battles during the Thirty Years' War, which took place between 1618 and 1648. Today it is one of only three towns in Germany that still have completely intact city walls, the other two being Rothenburg ob der Tauber and Dinkelsbühl. Another attraction in the town is Saint George's Church's 90-metre (300 ft) steeple, called "Daniel", which is made of a suevite impact breccia that contains shocked quartz. Other notable buildings are the town hall (which dates to the 13th century), St. Salvator church and the Spital, a former medieval hospital. The Ries crater museum is located in the well-preserved medieval tanners' quarter. The city is home to several other museums, such as the Bavarian Railway Museum, the Nördlingen city museum (Stadtmuseum), the city wall museum (Stadtmauermuseum) and Augenblick museum. The latter has panoramas, magic lanterns, silent films, barrel organs, pianolas, music boxes and gramophones. Nördlingen is also known for the Scharlachrennen (Scarlet Race), a horse race tournament that was first mentioned in 1463. Since World War II, it has expanded to include eventing, jumping and dressage.

Nördlingen railway station is a Deutsche Bahn railway station in Nördlingen, Bavaria, Germany.

The Bavarian Railway Museum (Bayerisches Eisenbahnmuseum or BEM) is a railway museum based in the old locomotive sheds at Nördlingen station in Bavaria, Germany. It is home to more than 100 original railway vehicles and has been located in the depot (Bahnbetriebswerk or Bw) at Nördlingen since 1985.

Herkheim is a part of the municipality of Nördlingen in Germany, about one hundred kilometres east of Stuttgart.

Ederheim is a municipality in the district of Donau-Ries in Bavaria in Germany.

Reimlingen is a municipality in the district of Donau-Ries in Bavaria in Germany.

The Battle of Nördlingen took place on 6 September 1634 during the Thirty Years' War. A combined Imperial-Spanish force inflicted a crushing defeat on the Swedish-German army. By 1634, the Swedes and their German allies occupied much of southern Germany. This allowed them to block the Spanish Road, an overland supply route running from Italy to Flanders, used by the Spanish to support their war against the Dutch Republic. Seeking to re-open this, a Spanish army under Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand linked up with an Imperial force led by Ferdinand of Hungary near the town of Nördlingen, which was held by a Swedish garrison. A Swedish-German army commanded by Gustav Horn and Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar marched to its relief but they significantly underestimated the number and calibre of the Imperial-Spanish troops facing them. On 6 September, Horn launched a series of assaults against earthworks constructed on the hills to the south of Nördlingen, all of which were repulsed. Superior numbers meant the Spanish-Imperial commanders could continually reinforce their positions and Horn eventually began to retreat. As they did so, they were outflanked by Imperial cavalry and the Protestant army collapsed. Defeat had far-reaching territorial and strategic consequences; the Swedes withdrew from Bavaria and under the terms of the Peace of Prague in May 1635, their German allies made peace with Emperor Ferdinand II. France, which had previously restricted itself to funding the Swedes and Dutch, formally became an ally and entered the war as an active belligerent.

The Ofnet Caves (German: Ofnethöhlen) are the remains of an underground karst system on the edge of the Nördlinger Ries in Germany. They are located on a limestone hill near Nördlingen, Bavaria. The caves became famous in 1908 when 33 prehistoric human skulls were discovered. The skulls were dated to the Mesolithic period.

Riesbürg is a town in the district of Ostalbkreis in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. The city has a beautifully restored 1847 synagogue.

Wallerstein is a municipality and former principality in the district of Donau-Ries in Bavaria in Germany. It was first mentioned in 1238 as Steinheim. For generations ruled by the House of Oettingen-Wallerstein, in 1806 Wallerstein became part of the Kingdom of Bavaria by the process of mediatisation. The family still owns the Wallerstein Castle and its surrounding land.

Christgarten Charterhouse (German: Kloster Christgarten) is a former Carthusian monastery, or charterhouse, near Ederheim in Bavaria, Germany.

Marktoffingen is a municipality in the district of Donau-Ries in Bavaria in Germany.