It is in the Swabian Jura mountains, in the municipality Bissingen an der Teck near Stuttgart and was formed around 17 million years ago.

A lake formed in the crater and its bed is now a layer of the early Miocene in which many fossils have been found.

This forms a natural pass for the seasonal migration of birds and insects as they fly up and over the alps.

This makes it a good point for observing these creatures and so an observatory was established there in 1969 by ornithologist Wulf Gatter – Forschungsstation Randecker Maar e.V..

The maar and gorge of the Zipfelbach were designated as a nature reserve by local ordinances in 1971 and 1990 to preserve the landscape and its fauna and flora for science and popular enjoyment.