The Ries crater, located in southern Germany within the Swabian-Franconian Alb, is one of the best-preserved asteroid impact craters worldwide. Its expression on the surface and accessible impact rocks attract visitors from all over the world. Since its recognition as an impact crater, it is a study object for many who research impact cratering processes and landscape development in impact craters. The target rocks of the impact are still accessible to the east and west of the Nördlinger Ries in the Swabian-Franconian Alb and give information on the pre-impact geologic history, which, as well as the post-impact development, characterizes today’s landscape as much as the impact event itself. The target rocks consisted of a sedimentary succession overlying a crystalline basement. During the impact large masses of rock were fragmented, melted, vaporised, and ejected out of the crater. The ejecta masses still cover large parts of the surroundings of the crater today, with the chaotic emplacement process of diverse rocks, creating an exceptionally high level of geodiversity in a small area. The landscape of the Nördlinger Ries therefore provides special conditions, leading for example to early settlement and intense agricultural land use, and it harbours many protected areas and a special climate.