Discover Memmingen

Memmingen combines a distinctive old town with art, local history and routes to suit different day plans. Colorful façades, magnificent buildings and traditional artisans’ quarters shape the townscape; preserved or restored gates, towers and walls recall the city’s history. For planning your trip, this means you can focus your stay on museums and architecture, explore the outdoors along the city wall, or combine both.

Old Town and City History

The kilometers-long, well-preserved city wall surrounding Memmingen’s old town is the city’s largest monument. Its history includes seven gates and 26 towers. Individual buildings also tell stories of different eras and purposes: the Siebendächerhaus was originally a functional building used by tanners, who dried leather and hides in the attic. Its half-timbered structure dates from 1601. After suffering severe damage in 1945, the building was reconstructed; today it is considered one of Memmingen’s landmarks.

The Kramerzunft has been a guild house for merchants since 1478. It took on special significance in 1525, when Swabian peasants gathered there and the Twelve Articles were written down. The town hall also brings together several historical periods: the building dates from 1488, while its south façade was designed in the Rococo style in 1765. These different architectural histories give a walk through the city more than just a single historical perspective.

Art and Museums in the Old Town

Memmingen’s museums are centrally located in the old town; their buildings and collections fit together in a meaningful way. At the City Museum, the exhibition area “Life in the Imperial City of Memmingen” offers an immersive encounter with the city’s history. The Hermansbau was built as a town palace in 1766 by Baron Benedikt von Herman. Today, it houses the City Museum and the Freudenthal/Altvater Local History Museum; admission is free.

The Antonierhaus is located in the former 15th-century hospital complex of the Order of St. Anthony. It houses the city library and two museums. The MEWO Kunsthalle offers a different focus: since 2005, it has been dedicated to contemporary art and presents up to ten exhibitions a year. As exhibition programs change, it is worth checking the current program before your visit.

Exploring on Foot

The Green Route runs along Memmingen’s city wall through parks and green spaces. It is well signposted and provides information about the surviving gates and towers. Away from the pedestrian zone, the route is also suitable for families with children and pull-along wagons. This lets you appreciate the city wall not only as a structure, but also use it as a guide for a walk in the green spaces.

If you prefer to pair sightseeing with stories, you can explore the Red Route using the free Lauschtour app as your personal audio guide. The app leads along the route to important sights and supplements the stops with information and anecdotes from the female city guides. Themed city tours are also offered in spooky, culinary, historical and child-focused formats, sometimes from the city wall as well. The dates of individual tours vary.

On a tower tour of St. Martin’s, a tower guide welcomes guests at the tower entrance on Zangmeisterstraße and shares information about the tower’s history as you climb. In fine weather, the view reaches as far as the Alps. Here, the story and the view go hand in hand: the tower’s history is the focus during the climb, while the view outside depends on the weather.

Cycling Tours and the Right Base

For an active outing, the “Countryside and River Enjoyment” cycling tour starts and ends at Memmingen’s market square. It is 31.7 kilometers long and takes about two hours. The route runs mostly on well-maintained forest and farm roads, is rated easy, and is suitable for touring bikes, trekking bikes and e-bikes. This gives you a clear guide to the time required and the choice of bicycle. The tourism portal also presents five individual cycling tours with different distances, route characteristics and levels of difficulty. You can choose between a described tour with a precise distance and duration and other routes with varying characteristics.

If you want to focus on museums and the old town, you can use a central location as a criterion when searching for accommodation. Memmingen railway station is centrally located in the city center and is a ten-minute walk from the market square. This gives you a clear reference point for finding your way around: the market square is also the start and finish of the cycling tour mentioned above. The accommodation that suits your trip depends on whether you want to include mainly the city’s history, guided tours, or a cycling tour in your plans.

Discover more destinations: Bad Wörishofen, Stetten, Bad Grönenbach, Tussenhausen, Sontheim, Kirchheim In Schwaben, Dirlewang, Woringen.

Return to the overview of the wider travel region: Unterallgäu.