Top Sights to See in the Altmühltal Valley Germany

Fossils, Romans, Teutonic Order, and Outdoor Adventures

The Bavarian Altmühl Valley is famous for water sports, cycling, hiking, unique fossils, Baroque Eichstätt, roman treasures, and other historic castles and sights.

Jura Museum - Eichstätt - Rhamphorhynchus intermedius

The southernmost parts of Franken, and some parts of northern Upper Bavaria, have been incorporated in to the Naturpark Altmühltal (Altmühl Valley Nature Park). This is one of the largest nature parks in Germany and a true haven for nature lovers and outdoor pursuits.

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Top Sights in Pappenheim & Solnhofen, Germany

Pappenheim, Panoramablick von der Burg, 2018

Picturesque Towns with Castles and Fossils in the Altmühl Valley, Bavaria

Pappenheim and Solnhofen are small, picturesque towns in a beautiful part of the Altmühl Valley in Bavaria. Pappenheim is famous for its castle while fossils and nature enchant in Solnhofen.

Pappenheim, Panoramablick von der Burg, 2018
© Derzno (via Wikimedia-Commons)

Pappenheim is a small town with a picture-perfect location where the Altmühl makes a complete U-turn. From here downstream towards Eichstätt, the Altmühl valley is narrower with some of the steepest cliffs. The Altmühl valley can be enjoyed by road, rail, hiking, cycling, or of course kayaking – all routes mostly follow the flow of the river.

Pappenheim’s written history goes back to 802 when the area was given to the Monastery of St Gallen. From the 12th century, it was under secular control with the descendants of the counts of Pappenheim still living in the Neue Schloss.

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Cheap and Legal Fossil Hunting in the Altmühl Valley

Buy, Search, and See Fossils in Quarries and Museums

The Altmühl Valley is famous for fossil hunting opportunities in limestone quarries and museums in Gunzhausen, Solnhofen, and Eichstätt. The hunt for the 10th archaeopteryx is on…

Archaeopteryx - Eichstätt Exemplar

Around 150 million years ago, the Altmühl Valley in Bavaria had a tropical climate and was at the edge of the Jura Lake. Many animals and plants were preserved as fossils in the lime slurry at the bottom of the lake. The Altmühltal Valley area is a true haven for fossil hunters with over 800 different plants and animal species discovered up to date including ammonites up to 2 m/7 ft. Many opportunities exist for hunting fossils cheaply and legally.

The Altmühl Valley’s prize finds are the nine archaeopteryxes, fossils only found in this area of primitive reptile-like birds that hints at a link between dinosaurs and birds.

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Top Sights to See in Baroque Eichstätt, Germany

Baroque Palaces and Churches, Willibaldsburg Castle, and Fossil Museums

Eichstätt has an Italian Baroque style old town, an interesting cathedral, a copy of the Holy Sepulcher, and unique Altmühl Valley fossils in the Jura and Bergér Museums.

Blick über den Garten von Eichstätt und die  Stadt

The Episcopal town Eichstätt has a history going back to 741 when St Boniface founded a monastery here. During the Thirty Years’ War, three quarters of the town was destroyed allowing Eichstätt to be rebuilt during the 18th century in an Italian Baroque style.

Following secularization in 1802, the bishopric became part of Bavaria. Almost a third of the town’s population of 14,000 is students at the local university, the only Catholic one in the German-speaking world.

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