Tuesday 27th October – Augsburg, Germany

 I bought some bread yesterday and cut it for the first time this morning. I often make walnut bread but this was different, it was hazelnut bread and it was delicious.
We walked a very short distance to a bus stop and caught a bus into the centre of the city and walked on to our first port of call, the Tourist Information Office, where we picked up a city walking tour leaflet. We also paid for tickets to visit the Golden Hall in the Augsburg Town Hall, which is on the same square. The Town Hall was just a shell (sic) after the Second World War but has been restored to its original glory over many years. One room has, some say, been over-restored – The Golden Hall. Golden is the correct word to describe the hall as the first reaction when you walk in is ‘Wow’ and you wish that you had brought your sunglasses. In the restoration, 2.6 kg of gold leaf was used. At current prices, 2.6 kg of gold would cost approx. £250,000 but gold leaf would be much more expensive, perhaps £320,000 - £430,000. Needless to say, it is very impressive but the paintings are also very good.
We followed the walking route and saw some interesting architecture but nothing spectacular. We were heading for the southernmost part of the route but stopped for lunch at the small restaurant ‘Tratto’s’ in Margaretenstrasse. I had noted that it had very good reviews and they were absolutely correct. It reminded us of a Greek estiatorio, in that it served pre-cooked dishes that were on display for the customer to choose from. I had slices of a pork bacon joint with roasted potatoes and an excellent salad, whilst Jane had spicey beef with pasta and the same excellent salad. I had a beer and Jane had a glass of rosé and the total bill was €27 – definitely the best value meal that we have had on this trip.
A very short walk took us to the Rotes Tower, one of the gates to the city. However, the main reason for being here was one of Augsburg’s reasons for its UNESCO World Heritage Site listing – the water management system. A viaduct brought water into the city and this was stored in three high towers that provided the pressure to push the water up to the city centre where it fed a serious of fountains that are also UNESCO listed. A very impressive system given that it was created in 1416.
We walked north along the side of a very fast-running canalised stream (the viaduct?) until we turned off to find the Fuggerei.
The Fuggers were an incredibly rich family, reflected in the naming of Jakob Fugger the Rich (1495-1525). The leaders of Europe came to the Fuggers for loans and their businesses included mines that gave them a monopoly over Hungarian copper, Austrian silver and Spanish quicksilver. Jakob Fugger wanted to go to heaven but this was a problem for a rich man. He was told that lots of prayers might help so, in 1521, he created the Fuggerei, the world’s oldest social housing complex that is still in use. The housing was reserved for Catholics who had fallen on hard times ‘through no fault of their own’. The rent was very low at one Renish guilder per annum together with the requirement to say one ‘Our Father’, one ‘Hail Mary’ and one ‘Creed’ daily, obviously in Jakob’s favour.
The Fuggerei is well designed, the terraced houses all have their own front doors, a small gardens and wide lanes separate the terraces. The Fugger family, not as rich as they used to be, still own and support the housing complex and the rent is set at an equivalent rate - €0.88 per annum plus the prayers, of course. Over the years, the houses became occupied mainly by old people but now there is a complete mix of ages. There was a very good series of videos, with English subtitles, were current residents told the stories of their lives both before and during their time in the Fuggerei. The houses are kept up to modern standards and we saw the evidence of a number of them being renovated. The museum houses were very interesting, a mixture of the history of the complex and an example of the layout of a current house. Well worth a visit and the highlight of our visit to Augsburg.
We walked back to the van, passing a couple of towers, visiting the cathedral and crossing the River Lech on the way. We had a very small meal in the evening – the lunch was very filling!
Photos: The Golden Hall; And its ceiling; One of the intriguing sculptures in the Fugger Chapel of St. Anna church; The excellent meal at Tratto’s; The Rotten Tower with two of the water towers in the background; One of the streets of the Fuggerei.