2000 Years of History
2000-year old Augsburg is one of Germany’s oldest cities after Trier. It’s twice as old as München or Nürnberg. The Roman Museum exhibits finds from Roman Augsburg and the surrounding area, from the beginning of the Roman occupation around 15 BC to its end in the fifth century.
Europe’s Richest Man
Jakob Fugger was born in 1459 into a prominent Augsburg merchant family. As a banker he served members of the nobility, the European royal families and the Catholic Church. He financed wars and achieved considerable political influence. Even by today’s standards his wealth was unfathomably immense. Largely due to him, during his lifetime Augsburg stood in the center of world affairs.
A Home for the Poor
In 1516 Jacob Fugger founded the “Fuggerei”, the oldest welfare housing project in the world. The Fuggerei housed Augsburgers who had fallen into hardship (and who practiced the Catholic faith). It is still inhabited today and rent is still the equivalent of a dollar a year. The Fuggerei is surrounded by walls and gates locked at night, so it is like a small independent medieval town.
From Rags to Riches
Augsburg is considered the most important city in the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart after Vienna and Salzburg. His great-grandfather lived at the Fuggerei. Wolfgang’s father Leopold was born in Augsburg in 1719. Not only did he discover his son’s musical genius, he was also his music teacher, his only mentor and his “tour manager.”
A City of Firsts
Beginning in 1893, engineer and inventor Rudolf Diesel was employed at Maschinenfabrik Augsburg where he worked on the development of the revolutionary engine which was to bear his name. The diesel engine allowed trains and ships to operate more efficiently with oil instead of coal, and Diesel quickly became a rich man. It was also in Augsburg that Linde built the first refrigerator and Messerschmitt the first mass-produced jet airplane.
The Un-American German
The famous playwright, poet and theater director Bertold Brecht was born in Augsburg in 1898. When Hitler came to power, he had to leave Germany because of his political views. Brecht settled in Hollywood where he was suspected of communist activities. He decided to move to East Germany where he died in 1956. The city of Augsburg has established a Bert Brecht Research Center forgiving Brecht his quip that the best thing about Augsburg was the train to München.
Germany’s Wild West
Every two years in September the “Americana”, Germany's top wild-west event, attracts around 40,000 horse-riding fans and cowboy enthusiasts. Here you can watch the world’s best western riders take part in breathtaking competitions.
The Art of Flying
Augsburg and its sister city in the United States, Dayton, OH, are linked by their love of airplanes. It was in Dayton that the Wright Brothers built their motorized airplanes. Germany’s center of aviation history is Augsburg where motor planes have been manufactured since 1916.
The Washing Machine
The Eiskanal, the world’s first artificial whitewater course, was the venue for the canoe slalom at the 1972 Munich Olympics. The Eiskanal contains such infamous sections as “the washing machine” but is nevertheless considered one of the safest white water courses in the world.
Why Kids Love Augsburg
The “Augsburger Puppentheater” (Puppet Theater) with its performances of modern and classic fairy tales is much loved all over Germany since its first TV appearance in 1953. Running the theater is a family affair. The Puppentheater is currently managed by the grandchildren of the original founder.
In the Bundesliga at Last
The long time home ground of the FC Augsburg, Rosenau Stadion, built from World War II rubble, finally came to its well-deserved rest in 2009 when a new stadium was completed. The new Impuls Arena hosted four games of the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup. At the end of the 2010–11 season FC Augsburg was promoted to the Bundesliga for the first time in its history, hoping to step out of the shadows of its powerful neighbor FC Bayern München.