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Photo: context medien und verlag Augsburg, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The Fuggerei is the world's oldest social housing complex and dates back to 1516. 160 people still live in this complex. The rent of an apartment today is only €1 per year.
The Fuggerei is the world's oldest public housing complex still in use. It is a walled enclave within the city of Augsburg, Bavaria. It takes its name from the Fugger family and was founded in 1516 by Jakob Fugger the Younger as a place where the needy citizens of Augsburg could be housed. By 1523, 52 houses had been built, and in the coming years the area expanded with various streets, small squares and a church. The gates were locked at night, so the Fuggerei was, in its own right, very similar to a small independent medieval town. It is still inhabited today, affording it the status of being the oldest public housing project in the world.
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The birthplace of the writer Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956).
The city hall built in 1615–1624 by Elias Holl is a major example of Renaissance architecture in Germany. The Golden Hall (Goldener Saal, carefully reconstructed after World War II destruction) is in the 2nd storey and has a small entrance fee.
In the 14th century a system of canals and watertowers were constructed in the city to provide hydraulic power among other things. This system was very innovative for its time and as such it has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The World Heritage Site comprises 22 individual objects which are scattered all over town.
Haus der Knotenlöserin
Small Romanesque church beside the town hall, one of the oldest complete sacred buildings left in Augsburg. Pilgrims come for the painting 'Mary Undoer of Knots' (Maria Knotenlöserin, c. 1700, Johann Georg Melchior Schmidtner) — Pope Francis popularised a copy in Buenos Aires. The church is step-free; the Perlachturm next door is a separate climb.
Perlachturm is a 70-m-tall tower and a landmark of Augsburg’s old town, alongside the adjacent Town Hall.
Augsburg is known for having one of the biggest and most beautiful Christmas markets. It usually starts the last weekend in November and closes on 24 December. Make sure to go to Rathausplatz and the surrounding areas hosting this market if you are in Augsburg in December. Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 18:00 the Engelesspiel takes place where 24 people dressed as angels appear in front of the town hall (Rathaus). Make sure to try the Glühwein (mulled wine). You can also get a bottle as a souvenir. For food, there are many stalls selling German fast food like Bratwurst or Schupfnudeln.