Rain offers different ways to explore history and landscaped green spaces: the legacy of Tilly, the old town and the gardens each have their own distinct character. When choosing where to stay in Rain, it helps to weigh these highlights according to your interests. Those especially interested in the town’s history will find notable links to the Battle of Rain; garden enthusiasts can take in the design features of the flower park and the green belt.
Tilly and the Battle of Rain
The larger-than-life monument to Johann Tserclaes Tilly, erected in 1914, commemorates the Battle of Rain on 14 and 15 April 1632. The year the monument was erected and the dates of the battle represent two different periods: the creation of the memorial and the event to which it refers. The Tilly Trail also explores this historical theme. Along it, visitors can discover traces of the battle and of the commander Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly. The theme is thus reflected in Rain both in a monument and in the description of a trail that follows historical traces.
Old Town and Local History Museum
Hauptstraße is the heart of the old town. Together with heritage-listed townhouses dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, it forms an ensemble that reveals the architectural history of those two centuries. The Local History Museum adds to the picture of Rain through its exhibits. It is housed in the former salt warehouse, a historic building dating from the 17th century. Its main attraction is a large tin-figure diorama depicting the Battle of Rain on 14 and 15 April 1632. The battle commemorated by the monument is depicted here as a diorama. Rain therefore offers several different forms of remembrance side by side: a larger-than-life monument, a themed trail and an exhibition at the Local History Museum.
Gardens and Green Spaces
The Japanese landscape garden in Rain’s flower park features large bonsai trees, ponds, water stairways, boulders and an arched bridge. Plants, water, stones and the bridge each provide distinct design elements, giving the gardens a focus of their own alongside the history of the old town and the battle. Dehner Flower Park is accessible, and admission is free. It is open on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., except on Sundays and public holidays. Check the opening hours before your visit, as they may change.
The town park is a central place for recreation and leisure, and forms part of Rain’s green belt, which surrounds the old town with flowering parkland. Unlike the individual design features named in the Japanese garden, the green belt describes a wider network of parks around the old town. Rain’s gardens can therefore be viewed from two perspectives: as a landscaped garden and as part of the town’s green spaces.
Guided Town Tour and the Wider Region
From April to October, the town of Rain offers a public guided tour on the first Sunday of every month; no registration is required. The tours therefore follow a clear seasonal and monthly schedule. Check the dates for the relevant year before your visit. A guided tour is another way to get to know Rain, while the monument, Hauptstraße and the parks bring the town’s different historical and landscape themes into view.
In the wider Donau-Ries travel destination, the district identifies the Ries Geopark, with the Ries Crater formed by a meteorite impact, as a tourist attraction. This geological focus differs from Rain’s links to the 1632 battle and the old town: it draws attention to the crater’s formation, while Rain’s sights focus primarily on the town’s history, the battle and landscaped green spaces.
Discover more destinations: Mertingen, Wemding, Wallerstein, Oettingen In Bayern, Donauwörth, Ehingen Am Ries, Tapfheim, Ries.
Back to the main travel overview: Donau-Ries.
