The beauty of Bavaria is notorious, which is why the area around Munich invites us to take a few day trips into the countryside. But there are also beautiful villages in the immediate vicinity and one of them is a real treasure trove. What many people don’t know: The picturesque little town of Nördlingen is built on diamonds! Nowhere else in the world is the concentration of sparkling gemstones as high as here.
What are the Nördlingen diamonds?
Nördlingen is a small Bavarian town that is unique in many ways. Above all, however, this is due to its diamonds: The entire town was built inside a crater that was formed around 15 million years ago by the impact of a kilometer-wide asteroid. The so-called Nördlinger Ries has a diameter of around 25 kilometers and is one of the best-preserved large meteorite craters on earth.
Millions of tiny diamonds were formed in the region from the carbon contained in the rock as a result of the enormous forces generated by the asteroid impact. At less than 0.2 millimetres, they are usually microscopically small and barely visible to the naked eye. In total, there are an estimated 72,000 tons of such diamonds around and in Nördlingen – an absolute world record.
How can you recognize the diamonds in the city?
The diamonds in Nördlingen may be tiny, but they still characterize the cityscape. The building blocks of many houses and also the imposing St. George’s Church contain these countless microdiamonds. On sunny days, you can see how the walls glitter and sparkle .
The diamonds are so small that their economic value is practically zero. They cannot be mined or sold, so the treasure literally remains in the walls. All the more reason to go for a walk, take a guided tour of the town or visit the Ries Crater Museum. A special tip: the medieval town wall is completely preserved and encircles the old town for around 2.7 km, which can be walked on a historical circular route.
Film locations and space expeditions: Special features of the Nördlingen diamonds
Anyone interested in astronomy will find a real hotspot in the Ries Crater. It’s not just the cityscape that sparkles, Nördlingen is also of great interest to science. NASA used the Ries Crater area as a training ground: the Apollo astronauts prepared for their search for rocks here before their moon missions. In the Ries Crater Museum, you can marvel at a real moon rock from the Apollo 16 mission, which was given to the town as a memento of these training sessions. Even today, the Ries is a regular training site for the European Space Agency.
A visit to Nördlingen is also worthwhile for film fans: the famous final scene of the film “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” was filmed right here. The flight in the glass elevator over the roofs of the medieval town clearly shows the striking old town silhouette of Nördlingen.
Diamonds, moon rocks and movie locations: Nördlingen is full of surprises. Just 90 minutes by car or train from Munich, this picturesque town with the highest “diamond factor” in the world is perfect for a day trip. Atmosphere, history, nature and a little spark of science fiction in the middle of Bavaria!