Memmingen: Old Town, Museums and Historic Houses

Memmingen combines a historic old town with museums, art and routes for exploring at your own pace. Notable buildings include the city wall, the Siebendächerhaus and the Kramerzunft. You can plan your stay around different interests: a walk through the old town, a museum visit or a cycling tour starting from the market square.

The Old Town and Its Architecture

The well-preserved city wall, which stretches for several kilometres around the old town, is considered Memmingen’s largest historic monument. It once had seven gates and 26 towers. The Green Way runs along the wall through various parks and green spaces. It is well signposted and provides information about the surviving gates and towers. Away from the pedestrian zone, it is also suitable for families with children and pull-along wagons.

The Siebendächerhaus was originally a practical building used by tanners: leather and hides were dried in the attic. Its half-timbered structure dates from 1601. The building was badly damaged in 1945 and subsequently rebuilt; today it is considered one of the city’s landmarks. The Kramerzunft also brings together architectural history and a significant historical event. It has been a guildhall for the Kramer merchants since 1478. In 1525, it was the meeting place of Upper Swabian peasants, where the Twelve Articles were written down.

The town hall is a late-medieval building dating from 1488; its southern façade was redesigned in the Rococo style in 1765. The Antonierhaus is located in the former hospital complex of the Order of St. Anthony, dating from the 15th century, and houses the city library and two museums. A walk through the old town reveals buildings and features from different periods, though the historic sites do not all tell the same story.

Museums and Art

Memmingen’s museums are centrally located in the old town; their buildings and collections complement each other in a fitting way. At the City Museum, the “Life in the Imperial City of Memmingen” exhibition offers an immersive encounter with the city’s history. The Hermansbau was built in 1766 as a town palace for Baron Benedikt von Herman and now houses the City Museum and the Freudenthal/Altvater Local History Museum. Admission is free.

The MEWO Kunsthalle is dedicated to contemporary art: since 2005, it has presented a programme of up to ten exhibitions a year. Exhibition dates may change, so check the current programme before your visit. Moving between the art gallery, the City Museum and the historic buildings offers a variety of perspectives: contemporary art takes centre stage in one place, while the history of the imperial city or the architecture of an individual building is the focus elsewhere.

Explore on Foot at Your Own Pace

If you would like to explore Memmingen at your own pace, you can follow the Red Route with the free Lauschtour app as your personal audio guide. The app takes you along the route to notable sights and includes information and anecdotes from the city guides. Check whether the app is available before your trip. Another option is to join a themed city tour, with spooky, culinary, historical and family-friendly formats; some tours also start at the city wall. Tour dates vary.

On the St. Martin’s Tower tours, a guide welcomes visitors at the tower entrance on Zangmeisterstraße and shares insights into the tower’s history as you climb. In good weather, the view extends as far as the Alps. Tours of the church tower are scheduled daily at 3 p.m. from May to the end of October. Check before your visit whether the tour is running.

Cycling Tours Starting in Memmingen

The “Country Culture and Riverside Pleasures” cycling tour starts and ends at the market square. It is 31.7 kilometres long and takes about two hours. The route runs mostly along well-maintained forest and farm roads, is suitable for touring bikes, trekking bikes and e-bikes, and is rated easy.

Five additional independent cycling tours are presented, with different lengths, route profiles and difficulty levels, for exploring Memmingen and the surrounding area by bike. The train station is centrally located in the city centre and is a ten-minute walk from the market square. This gives you two clear reference points for getting around: the market square as the start and finish of the cycling tour mentioned above, and the train station as a central arrival point.

Discover more destinations: Ettringen, Niederrieden, Tussenhausen, Winterrieden, Buxheim, Illerwinkel, Bad Grönenbach, Erkheim.

See the overview of the wider region: Unterallgäu.