The best road cycling routes around Hohenaltheim

The pride of the football nation

The formerly extensive, terraced complex on a rock above the town was first mentioned in 1188 in a treaty between Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa and King Alfonso VIII of Castile, in which the marriage between Frederick's son Conrad and Alfonso's daughter Berengaria was agreed upon. Half of the castle with all its appurtenances (mediam partem castri Walrstein cum omnibus suis pertinenciis), along with another 29 Staufian estates, were to be part of the bride's dowry.

The Warrior Fountain in Nördlingen is an impressive Art Nouveau monument that has been located on the Rübenmarkt square, right next to St. George's Church, since 1902. It was created by the Munich sculptor Georg Wrba and commemorates the fallen soldiers of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71.

The "Daniel" church tower of St. George's Church in Nördlingen is the town's most visible landmark and a masterpiece of late Gothic architecture. At 90 meters high, the tower rises above the town's rooftops and offers a spectacular panoramic view of the Nördlinger Ries region – on a clear day, up to 99 church towers can be seen. Construction began in 1454 and was completed in 1490 with a temporary roof. After a lightning strike in 1537, the tower received its characteristic Italian dome. Originally known as the "Wendelstein," it was renamed "Daniel" in the 19th century – an allusion to the biblical figure Daniel, who was elevated to the rank of prince. The Daniel tower is particularly vividly brought to life by a centuries-old tradition: Every evening between 10 p.m. and midnight, the watchman calls out "So G'sell, so!" from the tower room. – a greeting that dates back to a legend from 1440 in which a runaway sow helped uncover a treason and save the city from an attack. Those who climb the more than 350 steps to the viewing platform will be rewarded not only with an impressive panorama but also with a sense of the history and soul of this unique city.

The New Schranne in Nördlingen was originally planned as an extension of the Old Schranne, but was ultimately built separately. It served as a central storage and trading center for grain and featured a large hall on the ground floor where the delivered grain was stored.

The Berger Gate in Nördlingen is one of the five remaining city gates and once secured the road toward Ulm. It was built between 1435 and 1436 by the master builder Hans Rews. The upper tower floors were later expanded between 1574 and 1575 by Wolfgang and Caspar Waldberger, giving the gate its present appearance. Particularly noteworthy is the coffered barrel vault of the gate passage – an architectural detail that gives the gate its distinctive character. A cannonball from the Thirty Years' War remains embedded in the masonry, commemorating the siege of Nördlingen in 1634.

The Deininger Gate is one of Nördlingen's historic city gates and a striking example of late medieval defensive architecture. It once served as an architectural model for the neighboring Löpsinger Gate and is notable for its slender construction and curved roof. Unlike the city's other gate towers, the Deininger Gate lacked a gun platform, making it particularly vulnerable to enemy attacks. A memorial plaque commemorates the dramatic events of 1634, when imperial soldiers entered the tower during the Battle of Nördlingen. The defenders were only able to expel them by setting fire to the tower itself. The current structure, with its twelve round-arched windows, dates from the final years of the Thirty Years' War, around 1645/1646. The gate is an impressive testament to Nördlingen's eventful history and a popular stop on the historical city tour.

The Löpsinger Gate was completed in 1379 and originally served as a defensive structure in the north of the city. Today, the gate tower houses the City Wall Museum, which opened in 1987 and documents the history of Nördlingen's city fortifications on six floors.