In 2019,UNESCO recognised the Water Management System of Augsburg as aWorld Heritage Site because of its unique medieval canals and water towers and its testimony to the development of hydraulic engineering.[10]
Augsburg lies at the convergence of theAlpine riversLech andWertach and on theSingold. The oldest part of the city and the southern quarters are on the northern foothills of a high terrace, which has emerged between the steep rim of the hills ofFriedberg in the east and the high hills of the west. In the south extends the Lechfeld, anoutwash plain of the postice age between the rivers Lech and Wertach, where rare primeval landscapes were preserved. The Augsburg city forest and the Lech valley heaths today rank among the most species-rich middle European habitats.[11]
Augsburg borders thenature parkAugsburg Western Woods, a large forestland. The city itself is also heavily verdant. As a result, in 1997, Augsburg was the first German city to win the Europe-wide contestEntente Florale for Europe's greenest and most livable city.
Panorama of Augsburg, 1493Perlach market place in 1550
The city of Augsburg was founded in 15 BC on the orders ofEmperorAugustus.[12] Emperor Augustus conducted extensive military campaigns and established administrative settlements. TheRoman colony that became Augsburg was known asAugusta Vindelicorum, meaning "the Augustan city of theVindelici".[13] The settlement was established at the convergence of theAlpine riversLech andWertach. In 120 AD Augsburg became the administrative capital of the Roman province ofRaetia.[14] Augsburg was sacked by theHuns in the fifth century AD, byCharlemagne in the eighth century and byWelf I, Duke of Bavaria in the 11th century.[15]
Augsburg was granted the status of aFree Imperial City on 9 March 1276, and from then until 1803, it was independent of its former overlord, thePrince-Bishop of Augsburg. Frictions between the city-state and the prince-bishops were to remain frequent, however, particularly after Augsburg becameProtestant and curtailed the rights and freedoms ofCatholics. With its strategic location at an intersection of trade routes to Italy, the Free Imperial City of Augsburg became a major trading centre.[citation needed]
Augsburg produced large quantities of woven goods, cloth, and textiles. Augsburg became the base of two banking families that rose to great prominence, theFuggers and theWelsers. The Fugger family donated theFuggerei part of the city devoted to housing for needy citizens in 1516, which remains in use today.[16]
A "bird's-eye view" plan of western Augsburg, 1521
Augsburg's economic boom years occurred during the 15th and 16th centuries thanks to thebank andmetal businesses of the merchant familiesFugger,Welser, andHochstetter. These families held a near-total monopoly in important industries. Monopolies were considered criminal in contemporary laws, and these families' practices were criticised byMartin Luther himself, but asEmperor Charles V needed their financial assistance, he cancelled the charge in the 1530s.[18][19] In the 16th century Augsburg became one of Germany's largest cities. Augsburg was a majormanufacturing centre fortextiles,armor,scientific instruments, as well as gold- and silver-smithing. The prolificprinters of Augsburg also made the city the largest producer of German-languagebooks in theHoly Roman Empire. Like otherfree imperial cities, Augsburg was an independent entity and had authority over itstax policies.[20]
Augsburg's wealth attracted artists seekingpatrons. The city rapidly became a creative centre forsculptors andmusicians. Augsburg became the base of the Holbein family, starting withHans Holbein the Elder. The composerLeopold Mozart was born and educated in Augsburg.[21]Rococo became so prevalent that it became known as "Augsburg style" throughout Germany.[citation needed]
Augsburg benefited greatly from the establishment and expansion of theKaiserliche Reichspost in the late 15th and early 16th century. This postal system, which was the first modern postal service in the world, was created through negotiations and agreements between the Taxis family represented byFranz von Taxis [de] and the early Habsburgs monarches, notablyMaximilian I, his sonPhilip the Handsome and grandson Charles V.[22][23] Even when the Habsburg empire began to extend to other parts of Europe, Maximilian's loyalty to Augsburg, where he conducted a lot of his endeavours, meant that the imperial city became "the dominant centre of early capitalism" of the sixteenth century, and "the location of the most important post office within the Holy Roman Empire". From Maximilian's time, as the "terminuses of the first transcontinental post lines" began to shift fromInnsbruck toVenice and fromBrussels toAntwerp, in these cities, the communication system and the news market started to converge. As the Fuggers as well as other trading companies based their most important branches in these cities, these traders gained access to these systems as well (despite a widely circulated theory which holds that the Fuggers themselves operated their own communication system, in reality they relied upon the imperial posts, presumably from the 1490s onwards, as official members of the court of Maximilian I).[24]
Severalwitch hunts occurred in Augsburg in the late 16th century. Following the 1585–1588plague epidemic, southeast Germany was shattered by the 1589–1591 witch hunts. Following the 1592–1593 plague epidemic, cities in southeast Germany entered a period ofinflation, marked by brutal witch hunts in urban areas.[25]
In 1634, the Swedish army was defeated at the nearbyBattle of Nördlingen. By October 1634, Catholic troops had surrounded Augsburg. The Swedish army refused to surrender, and asiege ensued through the winter of 1634/35, and thousands died from hunger and disease. During the Swedish occupation and the siege by Catholic troops, the population of the city was reduced from about 70,000 to about 16,000. Diseases such astyphus and the plague ravaged the city.[26]
In the first half of the 17th century, Augsburg was pivotal in the European network ofgoldsmiths. Augsburg attracted goldsmith journeymen from all over Europe, and in the 18th century, a large number ofsilversmiths and goldsmiths becamemaster craftsman in Augsburg.[27]
Early 18th century map of Augsburg and surrounding areaA map of Augsburg in 1800
TheReichsdeputationshauptschluss or the Final Recess of 1803, saw the annexation of nearly all of the 51 Free Imperial Cities, excepting Augsburg and five others. However, when theHoly Roman Empire was dissolved in 1806, Napoleon encouraged his German allies to annex their smaller neighbours, and Augsburg lost its independence. It was annexed to theKingdom of Bavaria. In 1817, the city became the administrative capital of theOberdonaukreis, then the administrative capital in 1837 for the districtSwabia and Neuburg.[4]
A Polish woman weeps as she tells American soldiers of her life as aslave labourer for the Nazis. She was liberated in Augsburg when the third-largest Bavarian city fell to the Americans (23 April 1945).
Augsburg was historically a militarily important city due to its strategic location. During the German rearmament before theSecond World War, the Wehrmacht enlarged Augsburg's one original Kaserne (barracks) to three: Somme Kaserne (housing Wehrmacht Artillerie-Regiment 27); Arras Kaserne (housing Wehrmacht Infanterie Regiment 27), and Panzerjäger Kaserne (housing Panzerabwehr-Abteilung 27 (later Panzerjäger-Abteilung 27)). Wehrmacht Panzerjäger-Abteilung 27 was later moved toFüssen.
TheMAN factory at Augsburg was the largest German manufacturer of engines for U-boats inWorld War II and became the target of the Augsburg Raid. When theAvro Lancaster bomber was new in service, theRAF sent 12 at low level to bomb the factory in daylight, on 17 April 1942. The bombers were intercepted en route and only five returned, all damaged. The factory was damaged, but production continued; the factory was repeatedly bombed later. A subcamp of theDachau concentration camp outside Augsburg supplied approximately 1,300 forced labourers to local military-related industry, especially theMesserschmitt AG military aircraft firm, headquartered in Augsburg.[29][30]
In 1941,Rudolf Hess, withoutAdolf Hitler's permission, secretly took off from a local Augsburg airport and flew to Scotland, crashing inEaglesham, to the south of Glasgow. His objective was to meet theDuke of Hamilton in an attempt to mediate the end of the European front ofWorld War II and join sides for the upcoming Russian Campaign.
The Reichswehr Infanterie Regiment 19 was stationed in Augsburg and became the base unit for the Wehrmacht Infanterie Regiment 40, a subsection of the Wehrmacht Infanterie Division 27 (which later became the Wehrmacht Panzerdivision 17). Elements of the Wehrmacht II Battalion of Gebirgs-Jäger-Regiment 99 (especially Wehrmacht Panzerjäger Kompanie 14) were composed of parts of the Wehrmacht Infanterie Division 27. The Infanterie Regiment 40 remained in Augsburg until the end of the war, finally surrendering to the United States on 28 April 1945 when theU.S. Army occupied the city. The city and its Messerschmitt works werebombed on three occasions during the war. Collateral damage included the destruction of just under 25% of all homes in the city and the deaths of several hundred people.[31]
Following the war, the three Kasernen changed hands confusingly between theAmerican and Germans, finally ending up in US hands for the duration of theCold War. They became the three main US barracks in Augsburg: Reese, Sheridan, and FLAK. US Base FLAK had been an anti-aircraft barracks since 1936, and US Base Sheridan "united" the former infantry barracks with a smaller Kaserne for formerLuftwaffe communications units.
The American military presence in the city started with the U.S. 5th Infantry Division stationed at FLAK Kaserne from 1945 to 1955, then by11th Airborne Division, followed by the24th Infantry Division, U.S. ArmyVII Corps artillery,USASA Field Station Augsburg and finally the66th Military Intelligence Brigade, which returned the former Kaserne to German hands in 1998. Originally, the Heeresverpflegungshauptamt Südbayern and an Officers' caisson existed on or near the location of Reese-Kaserne, but it was demolished by the occupying Americans.
From 1266 until 1548, the termsStadtpfleger (head of town council) andMayor were used interchangeably, or occasionally, simultaneously. In 1548, the title was finally fixed toStadtpfleger, who officiated for several years and was then awarded the title for life (though no longer governing), thus resulting confusingly, in confusing records of two or more simultaneousStadtpfleger.
After the transfer toBavaria in 1806, Augsburg was ruled by aMagistrate with two mayors, supported by an additional council of "Community Commissioners": theGemeindebevollmächtige.
As of 1907, the Mayor was entitledOberbürgermeister, as Augsburg had reached a population of 100,000, as per the BavarianGemeindeordnung.
The mayor of Augsburg has been Eva Weber of theChristian Social Union (CSU) since 2020. The most recent mayoral election was held on 15 March 2020, with a runoff held on 29 March, and the results were as follows:
The Augsburg city council governs the city alongside the Mayor. The most recent city council election was held on 15 March 2020, and the results were as follows:
Augsburg is located in theWahlkreis 251Augsburg-Stadt constituency. Until the 2021 elections, theWahlkreis of Augsburg includedKönigsbrunn and parts of the District of Augsburg (Landkreis Augsburg).
Schaezlerpalais, a Rococo mansion (1765) now housing a major art museum
St Ulrich and St Afra – of these neighboring churches, one is Roman Catholic, the other isLutheran, the duality being a result of thePeace of Augsburg concluded in 1555 between Catholics and Protestants
Mozart Haus Augsburg (where the composer's fatherLeopold Mozart was born andMozart visited several times)
Bahnpark Augsburg home of 29 historic locomotives, blacksmith, historic roundhouse
3 magnificent Renaissance fountains, the Augustus Fountain, Mercury Fountain, and Hercules Fountain from the 15th century, built for the 1500th anniversary of the foundation of the city
Walter Art Museum at theGlas Palast ("Glas-Palace")
Roman Museum in the former Monastery of St Magdalena. In December 2012, the church was closed owing to the risk of collapse. In 2015, an exhibition opened in the Zeughaus, which will replace the museum for an indefinite period. Renovation work is ongoing and the Church will remain closed until further notice.[36]
Medieval canals, used to run numerous industries, including medieval arms production, silver art, sanitation, and water pumping
The water systems of Augsburg have been the site of innovations in hydraulic engineering for centuries.[37] Augsburg was built on top of an aquifer fed by the Lech and Wertach rivers, which provided purified groundwater that ran through the city through springs and streams.[38] The canals were first mentioned in 1276, and by 1416 waterworks, pumps, and water towers were added to distribute this water effectively.[38] In 1545, Augsburg was one of the first European towns to separate drinking water from water used for industry, effectively preventing water-borne diseases.[10] The pumps and waterwheels also generated power for fountains and food processing, such as a 17th-century butcher's hall that still stands today.[38]
In the 19th and 20th centuries, hydroelectric power plants were also installed. These power plants were some of the first in the world to generate electricity from water, and they are still in use today.[38] On 6 July 2019 the Water Management System of Augsburg was designated as aUNESCOWorld Heritage Site.[39]
Population size may be affected by changes in administrative divisions.
Augsburg has a population of about 300,000. It is the third largest city inBavaria and the largest city in theSwabia region. In the 16th century, Augsburg was one of the largest cities in theHoly Roman Empire, with a population of about 30,000. This put it on a level with cities likeCologne andPrague. Augsburg passed 100,000 residents in 1909, and the population has grown steadily since then. In 2015, the Diocese of Augsburg had 1,325,316 Catholics, which was 57.2% of the total population. Bavaria is the largest Catholic religious group in Germany, with Catholics making up 57% of the population.
Public transport is very well catered for. It is controlled by theAugsburger Verkehrs- und Tarifverbund (Augsburg transport and tariff association, AVV) extended over central Swabia. There are sevenregional rail lines, fivetram lines, 27 city bus lines, and six night bus lines, as well as several taxi companies.
TheAugsburg tramway network is now 35.5 km-long after the opening of new lines to theuniversity in 1996, the northern city boundary in 2001, and to the Klinikum Augsburg (Augsburg hospital) in 2002. Tram line 6, which runs 5.2 km from Friedberg West to Hauptbahnhof (Central Station), opened in December 2010.[42] In December 2021, tram line 3 was extended southward to the neighboring city ofKönigsbrunn.[43]
Until 2005, Augsburg was served by nearbyAugsburg Airport (AGB). In that year, all air passenger transport was relocated toMunich Airport. Since then, the airport has been used almost entirely by business airplanes.[45]
Augsburg is a vibrant industrial city. Many global market leaders namelyMAN,EADS orKUKA produce high technology products like printing systems, large diesel engines,industrial robots or components for theAirbus A380 and theAriane carrier rocket. AfterMunich, Augsburg is considered the high-tech centre forinformation and communications technology in Bavaria and takes advantage of its loweroperating costs, yet close proximity to Munich and potential customers. In 2018 the Bavarian State Government recognised this fact.[46]
Erhard Ratdolt (1442–1528), Printer, famous for having produced the first known printer's type specimen book
Jakob Fugger (1459–1525), Noted banker and financial broker. An area within the city, called theFuggerei, was set aside for the poor and needy in 1519.[49]
Mietek Pemper (1920–2011), Polish-born Jew. He compiled and typedOskar Schindler's list, which saved 1,200 Jewish prisoners from the Holocaust.[59][60]
FC Augsburg is a football team based in Augsburg and plays in theWWK ARENA to the south of the city centre. FC Augsburg secured promotion toBundesliga in 2011 and have remained there ever since, qualifying for theEuropa League for the first time in 2015 and securing mid-table finishes across the last few seasons. The club, nicknamed the Fuggerstädter or simply as FCA, reached the last 32 in the2015–16 Europa League with a 1–0 aggregate defeat toLiverpool. The WWK ARENA, nicknamed the "Anfield of the B17 Highway" following the Liverpool UEL match, opened in July 2009 and also hosted games of the2011 FIFA Women's World Cup. The 30,660 capacity arena is easily accessible from the city centre or the adjacent B17 dual carriageway.
The city is home to aDEL (first-division) ice hockey team, theAugsburger Panther. The original club, AEV, was formed in 1878, the oldest German ice sport club, and regularly draws around 4,000 spectators, quite reasonable for German ice hockey. Home games are played at theCurt Frenzel Stadion: a recently rebuilt (2012–2013) indoor rink and modern stadium, and the club reached the 2018/19 DEL semi finals, eventually losing in the winner-takes-all game 7 to EHC Red Bull München (4–3 series defeat). Consequently, the Panthers qualified for theChampions Hockey League. Augsburg is also home to one of the most traditional German Baseball clubs, the Augsburg Gators, and 2 American Football Clubs, the Raptors and Augsburg Storm, and in nearbyKönigsbrunn, there is the Königsbrunn Ants.
For the1972 Olympic Games inMunich, a protective diversion channel of theLech dam for river ice was transformed into the world's firstartificial whitewater slalom course: theEiskanal, which remains a world-class competition venue and has served as a prototype for two dozen similar courses abroad.
While commonly calledFuggerstadt (Fuggers' city) due to theFuggers residing there, within Swabia it is also often referred to asDatschiburg: which originated sometime in the 19th century refers to Augsburg's favorite sweet: theDatschi made from fruit, preferably prunes, and thin cake dough.[62] TheDatschiburger Kickers charity football team (founded in 1965) reflects this in its choice of team name.[63][64]
Among younger people, the city is commonly called "Aux" for short.[citation needed]
^ab"Water Management System of Augsburg".UNESCO World Heritage Centre. United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.Archived from the original on 6 October 2020. Retrieved1 October 2022.
^Jecmen, Gregory; Spira, Freyda (2012).Imperial Augsburg: Renaissance Prints and Drawings, 1475–1540. National Gallery of Art (U.S.). p. 25.ISBN9781848221222.
^Tore Janson (2007).A Natural History of Latin. OUP Oxford. p. 169.ISBN9780191622656.
^Jecmen, Gregory; Spira, Freyda (2012).Imperial Augsburg: Renaissance Prints and Drawings, 1475–1540. National Gallery of Art (U.S.). p. 25.ISBN9781848221222.
^Mark, Joshua J. In 2015, the Diocese of Augsburg had 1,325,316 Catholics, which was 57.2% of the total population. (26 January 2022)."Augsburg Confession".World History Encyclopedia.Archived from the original on 26 April 2023. Retrieved26 April 2023.{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^Behringer, Wolfgang (2011). "Core and Periphery: The Holy Roman Empire as a Communication(s) Universe".The Holy Roman Empire, 1495–1806(PDF). Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 347–358.ISBN9780199602971.Archived(PDF) from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved7 August 2022.
^Behringer, Wolfgang (2003).Witchcraft Persecutions in Bavaria: Popular Magic, Religious Zealotry and Reason of State in Early Modern Europe. Cambridge University Press. p. 95.ISBN9780521525107.
^Hays, J. N. (2005).Epidemics and pandemics: their impacts on human history. ABC-CLIO. p. 98].ISBN1851096582.
^Prak, Maarten; Epstein, S. R. (2008).Guilds, Innovation and the European Economy, 1400–1800. Cambridge University Press. p. 123.ISBN9781139471077.
^Edward Victor,Alphabetical List of Camps, Subcamps and Other Camps"List of Camps". Archived fromthe original on 16 December 2010. Retrieved25 July 2008.
^"Römisches Museum". kunstsammlungen-museen.augsburg.de. 2023.Archived from the original on 1 March 2023. Retrieved1 March 2023.
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