15 million years ago, there was a huge “bang” in the Nördlinger Ries: a rock from outer space hit with great force and created a gigantic crater – today’s Nördlinger Ries. This region has since been designated the first National Geopark in Bavaria. The new Geopark also includes surrounding areas of the Franconian and Swabian Alb. The center of the Geopark is the town of Nördlingen. It is located right in the impact crater. The Ries Crater Museum in Nördlingen provides information about the interesting geological past of the Ries. Here, geological history becomes an experience for the visitor and geoscience becomes comprehensible.
