Geopark Ries


The flat Ries Basin, 25 km in diameter is largely unforested; the crater rim, up to 150 m high, is clearly visible in the landscape.



The Ries Geopark covers an area of some 1,800 km² (for comparison, the area of the city of Munich is 310 km2). The Ries Geopark stands for a network that links district administrative and federal state authorities. The largest part of the designated area is located in the state of Bavaria, and a smaller part in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Altogether there are 5 rural district authorities with 53 communal
administrations involved. The concept of the Geopark envisages a complex development process.

The Geopark Ries is a unique place of interest, a top ranked geological speciality! The Ries event, i.e. the impact of a huge asteroid 14.5 million years ago, still has an effect on the Ries region to this day. The impact crater Nördlinger Ries is the best preserved impact crater in Europe. The shallow, for the most part unforested crater basin with a diameter of 25 km and its up to 150 m high crater rim are clearly recognizable in the landscape.







View across the Ries Basin and the western crater rim





View from the Rollenberg (a mega-block) across the crater basin in a northerly direction





1: Area of the Geopark 1,800 km²

2: Area extent of the city of Munich 310 km²



Viewing points are located for the most part on the outer crater rim, the inner crater ring, and on individual outcrops in the mega-block zone



1: Marienhöhe, Nördlingen, along the inner crater ring



2: The Niederhaus castle ruins lie at the southwest crater rim



3: The Wennenberg near Alerheim marks the inner crater ring



4: Wallerstein Rock is part of the inner crater ring



5: Riegelberg is a block of Malmian limestone within the megablock zone



6:Bockberg is located at the southeastern crater rim

Further topics:



National Geoparks
are networks

In National Geoparks the interrelationships between the various aspects of the Earth Systems are illustrated. This unifying approach requires joint action by different disciplines.

The Geopark Ries fulfills this networking requirement by means of a clearly defined management structure which reflects a great variety of subjects and tasks. Besides the official management, which is located within the Rural Administrative District of Donau-Ries, there are also five expert teams working on a honorary basis.

This structure guarantees that the available experts are all involved and at the same time there is subjectrelated flexibility.


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National Geoparks –
Experience the history of the Earth

Since 2002 the GeoUnion Alfred-Wegener-Stiftung (AWS) has been commissioned to evaluate regions which have applied for the status of a „National Geopark“ according to the guidelines for National Geoparks, and to award official certificates.

Until March 2011 thirdteen geoparks had been certified by the commission of experts of the AWS. As the term “Geopark” is not protected, there are also geoparks which are not certified and which are therefore not committed to the objectives and responsibilities mentioned here.


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