Augsburg

Augsburg is a historic city in the Bavarian part of Swabia, Germany, about 50 kilometres west of Munich. It is the third-largest city in Bavaria, with many people living there and in the nearby areas.

The city was founded by the Romans in 15 BC and was named after the Roman emperor Augustus. For many years, Augsburg was very important in Europe, especially because of rich families like the Fugger and Welser. They helped with banking and trade. The city was also important during the Reformation, when leaders met to talk about new ideas about faith.

Today, Augsburg is famous for its beautiful old buildings and history. In 2019, an old system of canals and water towers was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. This shows how clever people were at managing water long ago.

Geography

Augsburg is where the Alpine rivers Lech and Wertach meet, also on the Singold river. The oldest part of the city and the southern areas sit on a high terrace between the Friedberg hills to the east and high hills to the west. To the south is the Lechfeld, an outwash plain from after the ice age, with some rare natural landscapes. The city's forests and the Lech valley heaths are rich habitats for many plants and animals.

Augsburg borders the large nature park called Augsburg Western Woods, and the city has many green spaces. In 1997, Augsburg became the first German city to win the Europe-wide contest Entente Florale for being one of Europe’s greenest and most pleasant cities to live in.

The suburbs around Augsburg include Friedberg, Königsbrunn, Stadtbergen, Neusäß, Gersthofen, and Diedorf. Nearby towns are Rehling, Affing, Kissing, Mering, Merching, Bobingen, and Gessertshausen.

History

For a chronological guide, see Timeline of Augsburg.

Early history

The city of Augsburg was founded in 15 BC by Emperor Augustus. It was called Augusta Vindelicorum. The city was built where the rivers Lech and Wertach meet. In 120 AD, Augsburg became an important city in the Roman province of Raetia. Over time, Augsburg faced attacks.

Augsburg Confession

In 1276, Augsburg became a free city and could govern itself. It became a major trading center because of its location. The city was known for its cloth and textiles. In 1530, an important document called the Augsburg Confession was presented there.

Leading European centre of capitalism of the sixteenth century

During the 15th and 16th centuries, Augsburg grew very wealthy. Families like the Fuggers and Welsers became powerful in banking and trade. The city was also known for making textiles, armor, scientific instruments, and metalwork. Printers in Augsburg produced many books in German.

Thirty Years' War

When the Thirty Years' War began in 1618, Augsburg faced hard times. Swedish troops occupied the city, and a long siege followed. Many people suffered, and the city's population dropped.

End of Free Imperial City status

In 1803, many free cities in Germany lost their independence. When the Holy Roman Empire ended in 1806, Augsburg became part of the Kingdom of Bavaria. In 1817, it became an important administrative center for the region of Swabia and Neuburg.

Industrial revolution

In the late 1800s, Augsburg's textile industry grew again. Later, machine manufacturing became important.

Second World War and Cold War

During World War II, Augsburg became a military center with factories for military equipment. After the war, American forces occupied the city and used former military buildings during the Cold War.

Politics

Municipality

Main article: List of mayors of Augsburg

Augsburg had leaders called Stadtpfleger and Mayor. In 1548, they used only the title Stadtpfleger. After Augsburg joined Bavaria in 1806, it was led by a Magistrate with two mayors.

Mayor

Since 2020, Eva Weber from the Christian Social Union (CSU) has been the mayor of Augsburg.

City council

The Augsburg city council works with the Mayor to help guide the city.

Members of the Bundestag

Augsburg is part of the Wahlkreis 251 Augsburg-Stadt area. Volker Ullrich of the CSU was directly elected to the Bundestag. Ulrike Bahr for the SPD and Claudia Roth for Bündnis 90/Die Grünen were also elected.

Climate

Augsburg has an oceanic climate, so its temperatures stay mild all year. Scientists may also call this a humid continental climate. This climate helps decide the area's weather and seasons.

Main historic sights

Augsburg has many interesting places to visit. Some of the most famous are the Town Hall, built in 1620 in the Renaissance style, and the Perlachturm, a bell tower from 989. The Fuggerei is the oldest social housing area in the world, lived in since 1523.

Other sights are the Bishop's Residence, built around 1750, and the Cathedral, founded in the ninth century. There is also St Anne's Church, built in 1321, and the Augsburg Synagogue, one of the few German synagogues that survived the war and now has a Jewish museum inside. The Augsburg textile and industry museum shows how people, machines, patterns, and fashion have changed over time.

Water Management System

Augsburg's water systems have been very important for many years. The city is near rivers that give clean water from springs and streams. In the 1400s, they added pumps and water towers to share the water better. In 1545, Augsburg was one of the first towns in Europe to keep drinking water separate from water used for work. This helped stop sickness from dirty water. The water systems also powered fountains and machines for making food.

In the 1800s and 1900s, they added plants that used water to make electricity. These were some of the first in the world to do this, and they are still used today. On 6 July 2019, the Water Management System of Augsburg became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Incorporations

Population

Augsburg has about 300,000 people. It is the third largest city in Bavaria and the largest city in the Swabia region. In the 16th century, Augsburg was a big city in the Holy Roman Empire with around 30,000 people. It grew to over 100,000 people by 1909 and has kept growing since then.

Twin towns – sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany

Augsburg has friendly ties with cities in many countries. These include:

• Amagasaki, Japan (1959)
• Bourges, France (1963)
• Dayton, United States (1964)
• Inverness, Scotland, UK (1956)
• Jinan, China (2004)
• Liberec, Czech Republic (2001)
• Nagahama, Japan (1959)

Transport

The main road link is autobahn A 8 between Munich and Stuttgart.

Public transport is very well organized. It is managed by the Augsburger Verkehrs- und Tarifverbund (Augsburg transport and tariff association, AVV) and covers central Swabia. There are seven regional rail lines, five tram lines, 27 city bus lines, and six night bus lines, plus several taxi companies.

The Augsburg tramway network is now 35.5 km long. New lines opened to the university in 1996, the northern city boundary in 2001, and to Augsburg hospital in 2002. Tram line 6, which runs 5.2 km from Friedberg West to the Central Station, opened in December 2010. In December 2021, tram line 3 was extended to the city of Königsbrunn.

There is one station for intercity bus services in Augsburg: Augsburg Nord, located in the north of the city.

Augsburg has seven stations, including the Central Station (Hauptbahnhof), Hochzoll, Oberhausen, Haunstetterstraße, Morellstraße, Messe and Inningen. The Central Station, built from 1843 to 1846, is Germany's oldest main station in a large city. It is still in use and is currently being updated. An underground tram station is being built below it. Hauptbahnhof is on the Munich–Augsburg and Ulm–Augsburg lines and connects to Munich, Berlin, Dortmund, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Stuttgart by ICE and IC services. Since December 2007, the French TGV has provided a direct high-speed link to Paris. EC and night trains also go to Amsterdam, Paris, and Vienna. Improvements are planned with the Magistrale for Europe project.

The AVV runs seven Regionalbahn lines from the main station to:

• Mammendorf
• Schmiechen (towards Ammersee)
• Aichach/Radersdorf
• Meitingen/Donauwörth
• Dinkelscherben
• Schwabmünchen
• Klosterlechfeld

Starting in 2008, regional services are planned to be changed to S-Bahn frequencies and developed as part of the Augsburg S-Bahn.

Until 2005, Augsburg used nearby Augsburg Airport (AGB). That year, all air passenger services moved to Munich Airport. Since then, the airport is mainly used by business airplanes.

Economy

Augsburg is a busy city with many factories and technology companies. Big companies like MAN, EADS, and KUKA make products such as printing machines, big diesel engines, industrial robots, and parts for the Airbus A380 and the Ariane rocket. After Munich, Augsburg is an important place for technology in Bavaria, especially for information and communications technology. It helps because it has lower costs but is still close to Munich.

Major companies

• Boewe Systec
• Faurecia
• Fujitsu Technology Solutions
• KUKA
• MAN SE
• MAN Roland
• MT Aerospace
• NCR
• Premium AEROTEC
• Renk
• Siemens
• UPM-Kymmene
• WashTec
• Synlab Group
• Cancom
• Check24
• Amazon
• Patrizia Immobilien

Education

Augsburg has two important places for learning. The University of Augsburg started in 1970. There is also the Technische Hochschule Augsburg, which used to be called Fachhochschule Augsburg. Both help students study and learn new things.

Media

The local newspaper is the Augsburger Allgemeine. It was first published in 1807.

Notable people

Augsburg has been home to many important people throughout history. Some of these include:

• Saint Afra, a holy person and the patron saint of Augsburg.
• Jakob Fugger, a well-known merchant and town leader.
• Hans Holbein the Elder, an artist who helped change German painting styles.
• Leopold Mozart, a musician and father of the famous composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
• Rudolf Diesel, the inventor of a special engine named after him.
• Mietek Pemper, who helped save many people during a hard time.

Sport

Augsburg has also been home to many athletes, including:

• Ulrich Biesinger, a footballer who played for Germany and won the 1954 FIFA World Cup.
• Helmut Haller, a footballer who played for West Germany in several World Cups.
• Bernhard Langer, a famous golfer.
• Philipp Kohlschreiber, a tennis player.
• Stefan Bradl, a motorcycle racer.

Sports

FC Augsburg is a football team from Augsburg that plays in the WWK ARENA, south of the city centre. They joined the Bundesliga in 2011 and have played there since. They also played in the Europa League for the first time in 2015.

Augsburg has an ice hockey team called the Augsburger Panther. Their home games are at the Curt Frenzel Stadion. The city also has baseball and American football teams.

During the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, a special channel was made for whitewater racing, called the Eiskanal, which is still used for competitions today.

Local city nicknames

Augsburg has a few fun nicknames. It is sometimes called Fuggerstadt because a family named the Fuggers lived there. In the Swabia area, people also call it Datschiburg after a favorite sweet treat called Datschi. There is even a football team named after this sweet called the Datschiburger Kickers.

Young people often shorten the city's name to "Aux."