Oettingen in Bayern is a town in the Donau-Ries district, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated 29 km northwest of Donauwörth, and 14 km northeast of Nördlingen.

Neolithic findings indicate that the region was settled around 5000 BC. Archaeologists have also discovered the remains of a Bronze Age settlement and a Roman village. Oettingen was largely destroyed by an Allied bombing raid in January 1945.

Culture and Points of Interest

Königsturm (lit. King's Tower)

The tower of the lower gate, the so called King's Tower, is the only one along the city fortifications to have been preserved. The lower outskirts used to be located on the outside, and were secluded by an exterior lower gate. The lower level still exhibits remains of the tower from the thirteenth century. The city governors together with the citizens constructed a new tower in 1594–96. Cells from the city jail remain on the inside.

Rathaus (City Hall)

The city hall is one of the most outstanding examples of the Swabian Fachwerk style. The stone entry level and portal were built in 1431 while the upper floors and the impressive roof framework come from 1480. The nearby civic house from the seventeenth century was connected to the city hall during renovations (1986–93). The city hall today is the seat of municipal government and governing body of Oettingen, and the city license bureau is found on the ground floor.

Marktplatz (Marketplace)

The marketplace forms the centre of Oettingen, and the weekly farmers market takes place here on Fridays. Worth noting is the architectural layout: on the east side, the gables are Baroque-style, and on the west side, they are Fachwerk-style.

The Storks of Oettingen

Storks have been nesting in Oettingen at least since the time of Count Ludwig XVI (more than 400 years ago), and Ludwig was supposedly a friend of the storks. According to legend, when the Count left the town after the Schmalkaldic War, the storks also moved away and never came back. It wasn't until much later in 1563 when the count came back that the storks, too, wandered back into the town and have remained there up to this day.

Altes Gymnasium (Old High School)

The building was built in 1724 under the direction of Albert Ernest II by Johann Christian Lüttich. It accommodated the Latin School which was established in 1563, and served to educate the children of the parish and of the city governors.

And here are some impressions from the Historischer Markt (historical market place of Oettingen in 2010)