On December 7th, 2025, the RiesCraterMuseum Noerdlingen invites visitors to unlock the secrets of unknown stone objects (USOs) with expert knowledge, microscopes, spectrometers, and, if desired, a rock saw.
Bring us up to three finds, we will take a look at your treasures and give you our assessment of what they are.
December 7, 2025, 10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. RiesKraterMuseum Nördlingen/ ZERIN
We look forward to your visit!
On October 27, 2025, the RiesKraterMuseum hosted the icebreaker party for participants of the Paneth Colloquium.
The Paneth Colloquium is a renowned symposium on cosmochemistry, planetology, and astrophysics. The colloquium is organized by the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research and the University of Göttingen and takes place at irregular intervals in Nördlingen. This year’s meeting kicked off on October 26, 2025, with a scientific field trip led by Prof. Dr. Harry Hiesinger. This was followed by high–caliber specialist lectures in the “Klösterle” town hall on October 27 and 28. The RiesKraterMuseum was also represented with a contribution by PD Dr. Frank Trixler.
The IceBreaker party held at the RiesKraterMuseum on the evening of October 27 provided plenty of opportunity for personal exchange between researchers from different disciplines. A museum tour led by Frank Trixler (deputy director of the RiesKraterMuseum), Thomas Kurz (Friends of the RiesKraterMuseum e. V.) and Karin Heck rounded off the evening and provided an opportunity for many inspiring discussions on scientific and philosophical aspects as well as biographical references to the museum’s themes and objects.
The Ries Geopark provided enthusiastic support for the IceBreater party through its “Geopark kulinarisch” (Geopark cuisine) division, headed by Günther Zwerger. As a cooperation partner, the Landgasthof Adler (Wörle family) presented an outstanding buffet with regional specialties, which was met with great enthusiasm by the international guests. The successful collaboration between Geopark Ries, the Friends of the Ries Crater Museum Association, and the museum team was particularly pleasing: a constructive, forward-looking exchange that shaped the evening and already sparked anticipation for a reunion in 2027.
By self-upgrading key control systems for exhibition technology, the RiesKraterMuseum has succeeded in making a central part of its permanent exhibition—the impact film—accessible to deaf visitors. Since the new technology deliberately focuses on aspects such as expandability, flexibility, and future-proofing, it is also possible to offer the film in numerous other languages or to show it simultaneously in German with English subtitles so that international guests are not excluded from German tours.
The significant technical upgrade and adaptation, which was designed and implemented by Roland Schumacher at the RiesKraterMuseum, relies on the new “Stream Deck” technology—a multifunctional programmable keypad developed for streamers and YouTubers, but adapted to the requirements of a museum at the RiesKraterMuseum. This has enabled the implementation of individual control of various components of the exhibition, which is very easy to use.
In addition to the expanded possibilities for the impact film in terms of barrier-free participation, it will also be possible to easily and intuitively control various LED lights during guided tours, for example, to highlight the exhibits currently being discussed with special lighting effects. This technical implementation will make the best possible use of the new LED technology that will soon be installed in the building.
The technical upgrade at the RiesKraterMuseum is so important because it offers future-proof expansion options, especially for barrier-free services, and is therefore an important milestone for the museum’s diverse planned renovations.
Link to the press release (Donau-Ries Aktuell)
Stream-Deck Technology adapted and implemented at RiesCraterMuseum
Our former museum director Dr. Michael Schieber passed away on 05.07.2025.
As director of the RiesKraterMuseum from its opening year 1990 until the end of 2010, Dr. Schieber breathed the soul into our museum that still characterizes it today and which will be preserved.
We will remember him as a warm, humorous and enthusiastic person who always had an open ear for his employees and who played a key role in shaping this museum as an exciting place for young and old, for experts and laypeople alike. We are very sorry for his loss and remain connected to the Schieber family in sympathy and gratitude.
The team of the RiesKraterMuseums
At the end of June, Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn from Thailand visited the Nördlinger Ries. She began her two-day visit with a guided tour of the RiesCraterMuseum by museum director Prof. Dr. Stefan Hölzl.
Prof. Dr. Jürgen Hohnholz from Tübingen, on whose initiative the visit to the Ries went back and who accompanied the visit, expressed his thanks afterwards with the words “The entire small excursion was a complete success, with your engaging and lively tour of the Ries Crater Museum certainly being the highlight”.
From left to right: Prof. Dr. Stefan Hözl (RiesKraterMuseum), Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, District Administrator Stefan Rößle (first chairman of Geopark Ries e. V.), Mayor David Wittner, Prof. em. Dr. Jürgen Hohnholz. Picture: Fabian Weiß.
On March 13, 2025, the new special exhibition “Rocky Roads to Life” was opened at the RiesKraterMuseum with well over a hundred guests.
The special exhibition was developed by the RiesKraterMuseum. It aims to show unusual paths to a deeper understanding of life in dialog with the stones and to raise awareness of the fact that the geosphere and biosphere have been closely linked and connected by constant change since the beginning of life.
Introductory words by the museum director Prof. Stefan Hölzl were followed by words of welcome from the second mayor of the town of Nördlingen, Rita Ortler, and the Director General of the Bavarian State Collections of Natural History, Prof. Joris Peters.
An overview of the background, structure and significance of the exhibition was given by PD Dr. Frank Trixler, responsible for the conception, curation and texts of the exhibition. William Orsi, Professor of Geomicrobiology at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, then spoke about his research on deep-sea vents and their significance in connection with theories on the origin of life. His doctoral student, Vanessa Helmbrecht, who produced the exhibits on the topic “Origin of life in the deep sea”, demonstrated the cultivation of these exhibits in the laboratory during the subsequent tour of the exhibition and answered questions from the guests.
On March 13, 2025, the new special exhibition “Rocky Roads to Life” was opened at the RiesKraterMuseum with 135 guests.
The special exhibition was developed by the RiesKraterMuseum. It aims to show unusual paths to a deeper understanding of life in dialog with the stones and to raise awareness of the fact that the geosphere and biosphere have been closely linked and connected by constant change since the beginning of life.Introductory words by the museum director Prof. Stefan Hölzl were followed by words of welcome from the second mayor of the town of Nördlingen, Rita Ortler, and the Director General of the Bavarian State Collections of Natural History, Prof. Joris Peters.
An overview of the background, structure and significance of the exhibition was given by PD Dr. Frank Trixler, responsible for the conception, curation and texts of the exhibition. William Orsi, Professor of Geomicrobiology at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, then spoke about his research on deep-sea vents and their significance in connection with theories on the origin of life. His doctoral student, Vanessa Helmbrecht, who produced the exhibits on the topic “Origin of life in the deep sea”, demonstrated the cultivation of these exhibits in the laboratory during the subsequent tour of the exhibition and answered questions from the guests.
Link to the TV report
Between December 8, 2023 and February 23, 2025, the special exhibition “Micrometeorites: Dust from outer space – everywhere!” developed by the Ries Crater Museum, was presented.
Micrometeorites are cosmic dust particles that hit the Earth every day, mostly unnoticed by us. They can provide information about the solar system that larger meteorites do not possess. When they enter the atmosphere, the tiny rock particles are heated up and cool down again. This creates fascinating sculptures of crystals and glass.
With an average size of 100 – 400 µm, the cosmic dust particles are barely visible to the naked eye and are therefore very difficult to find. For a long time, it was considered impossible to detect such particles from space in populated areas among all the earthly dust and industrial pollution. Two researchers from Norway, Jon Larsen and Jan Braly Kihle, have succeeded for the first time in finding micrometeorites on house roofs and in gutters and have developed a special photographic technique to make the fascinating little spheres visible to the naked eye.
The special exhibition focuses on large-format photographs that allow visitors to immerse themselves in the strange, bizarre and extremely aesthetic world of these extraterrestrial particles.
Download Impressum “Mikrometeoriten”
For billions of years, the world of rocks and life have been closely linked through the action of water. As a result, the mineral diversity of the earth and biological evolution are interrelated.
The new special exhibition “Rocky Roads to Life”, developed at the RiesCraterMuseum, focuses on the close relationship between rock and life. The exhibits open up various paths towards the origins, relationships and characteristics of the living world. These paths lead to three questions that run through the exhibition as a common thread: What role do rocks play in the origin of life? What interrelationships exist between rocks and life? And what is actually different about a living being compared to a stone?
The aim of the exhibition is to show unusual paths to a deeper understanding of life in dialog with the stones. It also raise awareness of the fact that the geosphere and biosphere have been closely linked and connected through constant change since the beginning of life.
The special exhibition at the RiesCraterMuseum opens to visitors on March 14, 2025 and runs until February 15, 2026.
On the initiative of the RiesCraterMuseum, a display case was set up in the Theodor-Heuss-Gymnasium Nördlingen with objects showing original meteorites, impact rocks, fossils from Lake Riesse and archaeological artifacts.
The showcase is designed as a permanent exhibition in the school. The aim is to arouse curiosity through the authenticity of the original objects apart from organized museum tours and to be able to engage with the nature of these stones and their natural history in familiar surroundings without time pressure. Using the QR code attached, pupils can also quickly access the RiesKraterMuseum website to find out more about the objects, plan a visit to the museum or contact the museum staff. The location of the permanent exhibition in the school also makes it possible to have the exhibits available on site at any time as authentic illustrative material and tangible objects for geography, physics, chemistry and biology lessons.
Karin Heck selected and put together the exhibits and designed the display, curator Frank Trixler conceived and initiated this new type of museum outreach. Marcus Aunkofer, head of geography at THG, coordinated the project on behalf of the THG. Thanks to the facilitation of the project and approval of the objects by museum director Stefan Hölzl and the support of the realization by Renate Rachidi, principal of the THG Nördlingen, this new type of museum education could finally be realized in Nördlingen.
Link to the THG school webseite
Image credit: M. Aunkofer