Nordlingen is no ordinary German town. With its red roofs, church towers, and ring of ancient walls, it wears its medieval charm beautifully. But beneath the picturesque streets and historic spires lies a story shaped by a meteor, a giant crater, and the wreckage of deep space. Hidden beneath its historic charm is evidence of a catastrophic cosmic event. The entire town sits inside the Nordlinger Ries, a massive meteor crater formed around 15 million years ago when an asteroid crashed into Earth. The impact created rocks filled with microscopic diamonds that were later used to build much of the town itself. Millions of years later, NASA recognised the site’s unusual geology and brought Apollo-era astronauts there to study terrain similar to the Moon’s surface.
The diamond-filled meteor crater that built the German town of Nordlingen
Scientists estimate the asteroid responsible for the Ries crater was roughly 1 to 1.5 km wide. Travelling at enormous speed, it struck southern Germany with enough force to blast out a crater nearly 25 km across.The impact unleashed tremendous heat and pressure, melting and shattering surrounding rocks in an instant. Debris from the explosion was thrown across large parts of Europe, while carbon-rich materials underground were compressed into microscopic diamonds. For centuries, the crater’s true origin remained unknown. Many early researchers believed the circular basin was volcanic. It was only during the 20th century that scientists confirmed the structure had been formed by a meteorite impact after discovering shocked minerals that could only be produced under extreme collision pressures.Much of Nordlingen was constructed using suevite, a rare rock formed directly during the impact event. Suevite contains fragments of melted and broken rock fused together by the intense forces generated when the asteroid struck.The rock also contains countless microscopic diamonds. Although far too tiny for jewellery, the diamonds are spread throughout many of the crater rocks used in local construction.Over centuries, residents quarried the material and used it to build homes, towers, churches, and defensive walls. As a result, many buildings in Nordlingen are literally made from the remains of an asteroid collision.One of the town’s most famous landmarks is St. George’s Church. Its towering bell tower, known locally as “Daniel”, was built using stone taken directly from the crater region.
Microscopic view of suevite rock from the Ries crater near Nordlingen, formed during a giant asteroid impact around 15 million years ago.
Why Nordlingen looks circular from the sky
Aerial photographs of Nordlingen reveal an almost perfectly circular town layout. The shape reflects the ancient crater basin in which the settlement developed.Unlike many medieval European towns that expanded irregularly over time, Nordlingen remained largely confined within its protective walls and the natural boundaries created by the impact structure. Today, the town is regarded as one of Germany’s best-preserved medieval settlements.The wider crater landscape still dominates the surrounding Bavarian countryside and remains visible from satellite imagery.
NASA trained astronauts in Nordlingen
During preparations for the Apollo Moon missions, NASA scientists searched for locations on Earth that could help astronauts understand lunar geology. The Ries crater quickly became an important training site because its terrain closely resembled impact regions found on the Moon.Apollo-era astronauts visited the crater to study impact formations, crater structures, and unusual rocks created by violent collisions. The field training helped astronauts learn how to recognise geological features they might encounter during lunar missions.Members connected to the Apollo 11 Moon Landing programme were among those who studied the site before travelling to the Moon.
Apollo-era astronauts and geologists examine impact rocks at Germany’s Ries crater during NASA field training for lunar missions in the late 1960s.
The mystery of the nearby twin crater
Not far from Nordlingen lies another impact site called the Steinheim crater, measuring roughly 4 km across.Scientists believe the two craters may have formed during the same event, possibly when a fragmented asteroid struck Earth in multiple pieces. Together, the Ries and Steinheim craters are considered among Europe’s most significant meteor impact structures.
A town shaped by both history and space
Nordlingen is one of the few places in the world where medieval history and planetary science exist side by side. Residents spent centuries living inside a giant impact crater without realising its cosmic origin. They unknowingly built their homes and churches from rock forged during one of Earth’s ancient asteroid collisions.Today, the town attracts tourists, geologists, and space enthusiasts alike, offering a rare glimpse into how a violent event from deep space became part of everyday human history. Go to Source
