Fuggerei — Fugger Secret Legacy

Your quest begins in Augsburg's Rathausplatz, the vibrant heart of this free imperial city. Here, between 1615 and 1620, architect Elias Holl erected the Rathaus, a masterpiece of German Renaissance. Adjacent, the Perlachturm, a 70-meter tower dating from 947, has served as a belfry since the Middle Ages. This square witnessed the Diets of Augsburg in 1530 and 1555, marking key moments in imperial history. The surrounding Renaissance buildings, linked to powerful merchant families like the Fuggers, remind you of the opulence of this period, a UNESCO World Heritage site to explore.

A short walk from Rathausplatz, the Fuggerhäuser stand, introducing Italian Renaissance to Bavaria as early as 1512. These mansions, adorned with frescoes and sgraffiti, reflect the North Alpine style. They were the residence of Jakob Fugger the Rich, influential banker to the Habsburgs from 1459 to 1525. By observing these facades, you decipher the first clues of his financial empire. About 300 meters away, the Augustusbrunnen, erected between 1589 and 1594 by Hubert Gerhard, depicts Augustus with allegories of the Lech and Wertach rivers. Standing 9 meters tall, this bronze fountain, financed by the Fuggers, symbolizes Augsburg's mercantile power and is the first of its kind in Northern Germany.

Continue your journey to St. Anna-Kirche, a late Gothic church built between 1321 and 1420. Here lies the Fuggerkapelle, created by Hans Häring between 1509 and 1512, the first Renaissance work north of the Alps. It houses the tomb of Jakob Fugger and his brothers Georg and Ulrich. 500 meters from Rathausplatz, this church was also decorated by Albrecht Dürer, showcasing the extent of the family's artistic patronage. Your route then takes you to the Schaezlerpalais, a Rococo palace built between 1765 and 1770 by Johann Baptist Zimmermann for banker Anton von Schaezler. Its 40-meter facade, adorned with frescoes by Johann Michael Rottmayr, illustrates Augsburg's merchant elite after the Fugger era, 800 meters from the central square.

Your exploration then leads you to the Weberhaus, a half-timbered house from 1470. This rare example of a medieval weaver's house, with its facade carved with motifs related to weaving, recalls the pre-Fugger textile boom in the city. Restored in 1900, it now houses a textile museum and is located less than 1 km from Rathausplatz. These buildings, while not directly part of the Fugger empire, testify to the economic and social fabric of Augsburg, a city where trade and craftsmanship have always thrived, before, during, and after the banker family's peak, enriching Bavarian heritage.

Finally, your ultimate destination is the Fuggerei, 1 km from Rathausplatz, a 12-minute walk. Founded on August 23, 1521, by Jakob Fugger, this Sozialsiedlung is the oldest existing social housing complex in the world. Comprising 67 houses and 142 apartments for 150 Catholic residents, it has maintained an annual rent of €0.88 since its inception. Expanded between 1521 and 1523, with an initial 52 houses, it was walled and provided with its own church and gates. As a visitor to this historic monument in Germany, you discover an exceptional facet of Augsburg's and Bavaria's history, a concrete testimony to Fugger philanthropy, and understand why this initiative is recognized as the world's oldest social housing, a true walking thematic circuit.