Nördlingen: Germany’s Sparkling Diamond Town
From a distance, Nördlingen appears to be a fairly standard German town, populated by snug rows of buildings with red orange sloping roofs. If you stroll around on a sunny day, you may notice that certain stone structures in the town sparkle in the sunlight. Much of the stone used to construct the town of Nördlingen is derived from an impact crater left by a sizable asteroid that collided with what we now know as Germany approximately 15 million years ago. The collision was so intense, the asteroid left countless microscopic diamonds in its wake.
In the early Middle Ages, Nördlingen’s earliest settlers began gathering materials to construct a towering church and a large protective wall. None of the town’s earliest inhabitants had any idea that the stone that they were using to build their town featured millions of tiny diamonds. Well into the 20th century, residents of Nördlingen believed that their town rested on a volcanic crater. It wasn’t until the 1970s that a team of scientists studied the composition of Nördlingen’s buildings and walls, and realized just how prevalent diamonds were in the town.
If you’re looking to get rich by absconding with a piece of one of Nördlingen’s diamond-stuffed walls, think again. The diamonds that line Nordlingen are so miniscule, they have virtually no commercial value. The Ries Crater Museum features several displays that show magnified pieces of Nördlingen’s diamond walls, for visitors who would like a close up view of Germany’s ritziest rocks. The Ries Crater Museum also features tours of Nordlingen conducted by geologists who delight in explaining how Nördlingen’s petite diamonds formed.
Climbing the steps of St.-Georgs-Kirche church offers a stunning view of Nordlingen. Once your eyes are trained to detect dots of glitter, the sedate German town dances with light as you scan rows of Medieval buildings for traces of diamonds. The Ries Crater Museum features a moon rock from the Apollo 16 mission, if you want to end your time in Nördlingen with an otherworldly grand finale. Not many towns can claim to be constructed out of millions of microscopic diamonds. Forget palaces, grand estates, or mansions. Nothing is quite as posh as a town constructed almost entirely out of diamonds, There is a sound scientific explanation for why Nördlingen shimmers in the sunlight, but it is still easy to imagine that Nördlingen is a shining, enchanted city sprinkled with pixie dust.
UnusualPlaces Field Notes
- Location
- Nördlingen historic town centre, Bavaria, Germany
- Coordinates
- 48.8517, 10.4886
- Access
- Nördlingen’s historic centre is walkable, and the municipal visitor information describes the city wall as a complete circuit of about 2.7 km. The optional Daniel tower is a separate steep climb; check its schedule and last-ascent cutoff before visiting.
- Admission
- There is no general fee to enter the town or walk its historic streets and city wall. Optional Daniel church-tower admission: adult €4.50; ages 6–15 €3.50; under 6 free; family ticket (two adults and their children up to 15) €8.50.
- Time needed
- No official town-wide duration is published. The complete city-wall walk is about 2.7 km; add time for the optional Daniel tower, museums, and stops in the old town. Actual visit length depends on pace and which attractions are open.
- Best season
- No official preferred season is listed. The historic streets and city wall can be explored year-round, while the Daniel tower has longer March–October hours and shorter November–February hours; check weather and dated closures.
- Opening hours
- The historic town and public city wall have no single visitor schedule. The optional Daniel tower is open daily 10:00–18:00 March–October and 10:00–17:00 November–February; last ascent is 30 minutes before closing. The city announced that it will be closed all day November 3, 2026 for annual cleaning.
- Location checked
- 2026-09-26
- Facts checked
- 2026-10-26
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