The city wall of Dinkelsbühl is one of three well-preserved medieval city fortification walls in…read morethe area that encircle the entire old towns; incidentally, other two towns are Nördlingen and Rothenburg o. d. Tauber. It's always so much fun to walk around these medieval towns imagining how the life might have been lived within these walls. A circular hiking trail (about 2.6 km) leads around the entire medieval city wall of Dinkelsbühl, mostly right along the wall. The western part of the fortification is particularly impressive. Due to the hillside location, the double wall built on the deep moat has a staggered height. We have King Ludwig I of Bavaria to thank for our pleasures of walking on the entire city wall around this fantastic medieval town since he placed the wall under his protection and prohibited for demolition in 1826. It's a must stop when you are visiting this area. There is a free parking lot available outside the city wall at every town gate for your convenience. To this day, all road traffic in and out of the city only goes through the four medieval city gates. Of course, you always have to watch out for oncoming traffic. This is probably one of the reasons why large parking lots were built for visitors and tourists in front of each gate. This is very practical, especially since you can park right in front of the first attractions you see as you enter the old town. The Segringertor already existed in 1384. During renovations in the 17th century, the gate tower was given its current baroque dome. There is a small, at first glance somewhat inconspicuous, Chapel of the Three Kings built in 1378 near the gate tower. Today the church houses a memorial for the victims of the Nazi regime. The Rothenburgertor was built around 1390 and has its original appearance to this day, which is why this gate can only be passed in one direction by car. The Wörnitztor with humpback blocks from the Staufer period is the oldest of the four city gates. The tower was raised at the end of the 14th century. The renaissance gable with bell tower dates from the 16th century. On the outside, as on all four city gates, there is the coat of arms of the imperial city of Dinkelsbühl - three golden ears of dinkel (wheat) on three hills. In addition, the imperial eagle is shown as a symbol of imperial involvement. The Nördlingertor (around 1400) is adorned with a stepped gable with half-shells (16th century). This town appears to be a lot less commercialized (it almost seems the town keeps it that way to discourage herd of tourists pouring in to this town) especially compared to Rothenburg. You will enjoy quietness of this town as you wander in and out of the city wall. If you had one to one and half hour of your time, you can enjoy a very leisurely stroll around this town.

The Nördlinger City Wall is the only city ​​wall in Germany that has a completely preserved…read morewalkable and partially covered battlement. It encloses the entire medieval old town of Nördlingen and can be walked continuously over a length of 2.6 kilometers. The city wall includes five gates with four gate towers (Baldinger gate tower collapsed in 1703), eleven other towers and two bastions. The construction of the city wall began in 1327 on the orders of Ludwig of Bavaria. It replaced the old defensive wall, the parts of which can still be seen today on some of the old town streets. Between 1536 and 1613, four gates and two towers were completely rebuilt. In addition, seven oven towers, three strong bulwarks and two bastions were built during this period. During the Thirty Years' War in 1634, the Nördlingen city fortifications withstood a siege by imperial troops in the run-up to the battle of Nördlingen. From 1803 the Nördlinger began to remove parts of the now superfluous city wall. In 1826, King Ludwig I of Bavaria placed the wall under his protection and prohibited its further demolition. We have King Ludwig I to thank for our pleasures of walking on the entire city wall around this fantastic medieval town. It's a must stop when you are visiting this area. There is a free parking lot available outside the city wall at every town gate for your convenience.

The Wörnitztor is the eastern city gate tower of Dinkelsbühl. The Wörnitztor with its humpback…read moresquares from the Staufer period (partly plastered, with a gable roof and pointed arch gate, flanking wall parts with passages and former gate kennel) is the oldest of the four city gate towers built around 1230. At the end of the 14th century, the tower was raised. The renaissance gable with bell tower dates from the 16th century. On the outside, as on all four city gates, is the coat of arms of the imperial city of Dinkelsbühl - three golden ears of spelt on three hills. The imperial eagle is also shown as a symbol of imperial immediacy (a status enjoyed by natural and legal persons and corporations that were not subject to the territorial sovereignty of another ruler in the Holy Roman Empire. This unique legal status in a European context took the form of immediate subordination to the emperor and empire, in contrast to belonging to a particular territory). It's definitely a very good looking tower--especially with the pinkish (or sometimes orangish depending on the lighting)-color plaster.

The Segringer Tor has been in existence since 1384. During renovations in the 17th century, the…read moregate tower was given its current baroque dome. There is a small, at first glance somewhat inconspicuous, Chapel of the Three Kings built in 1378 below this gate tower. Today the church houses a memorial for the victims of the Nazi regime. To this day, all road traffic in and out of the city only goes through the four medieval city gates of which Segringertor is one of them. You always have to watch out for oncoming traffic. This is probably one of the reasons why large parking lots were built for visitors and tourists in front of each gate. This is very practical and convenient especially since you can park right in front of the first attractions as you approach this town. Just look for a tall tower like this one!!

The city walls in Dinkelsbuhl are some of the most complete Medieval walls in all of Germany. These…read morewell-maintained, ivy covered walls reinforce the Medieval, fairy-tale atmosphere of Dinkelsbuhl. Stopping here was somewhat of a last minute decision, but it was by far one of our favorite stops in all of Germany! Quiet, quaint, and covered in original buildings, it is everything I wanted from Germany.

The Reimlinger Tor secured the road to Augsburg/Ulm in the Medieval times. It dates from the 14th…read morecentury and is the oldest city gate in Nördlingen. The superstructures with the bulging cannon platform and the tower watchman's room were added later, as was the well-fortified outwork. The Nördlinger City Wall is the only city ​​wall in Germany that has a completely preserved, walkable and covered battlement. It encloses the entire medieval old town of Nördlingen and can be walked continuously over a length of 2.6 kilometers. The city wall includes five gates with four gate towers (Baldinger gate tower collapsed in 1703), eleven other towers and two bastions. It's always so much fun to walk around these medieval towns imagining how the life must have been lived within these walls. Incidentally, there are two other walled-towns around here--Rothenburg ob der Tauber and Dinklesbühl. Nördlingen is less commercialized, therefore, it is quieter, and you'll find less tourists.