Augsburg (; bar , Augschburg , links=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swabian_German , label=Swabian German, , ) is a city in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, around west of Bavarian capital

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

. It is a university town and regional seat of the '' Regierungsbezirk''

Schwaben Swabia ; german: Schwaben , colloquially ''Schwabenland'' or ''Ländle''; archaic English also Suabia or Svebia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany. The name is ultimately derived from the medieval Duchy of ...

with an impressive Altstadt (historical city centre). Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is the third-largest city in Bavaria (after

and

Nuremberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...

) with a population of 300,000 inhabitants, with 885,000 in its metropolitan area. After Neuss, Trier,

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...

and Xanten, Augsburg is one of Germany's oldest cities, founded in 15 BC by the Romans as

Augusta Vindelicorum Augsburg (; bar , Augschburg , links=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swabian_German , label=Swabian German, , ) is a city in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, around west of Bavarian capital Munich. It is a university town and regional seat of the '' ...

, named after the Roman emperor

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...

. It was a Free Imperial City from 1276 to 1803 and the home of the

patrician Patrician may refer to: * Patrician (ancient Rome), the original aristocratic families of ancient Rome, and a synonym for "aristocratic" in modern English usage * Patrician (post-Roman Europe), the governing elites of cities in parts of medieval ...

Fugger and Welser families that dominated European banking in the 16th century. According to Behringer, in the sixteenth century, it became "the dominant centre of early capitalism", having benefitted from being part of the Kaiserliche Reichspost system as "the location of the most important post office within the Holy Roman Empire" and the city's close connection to Maximilian I. The city played a leading role in the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

as the site of the 1530 Augsburg Confession and 1555 Peace of Augsburg. The

Fuggerei The Fuggerei is the world's oldest public housing complex still in use. It is a walled enclave within the city of Augsburg, Bavaria. It takes its name from the Fugger family and was founded in 1516 by Jakob Fugger the Younger (known as "Jakob Fug ...

, the oldest social housing complex in the world, was founded in 1513 by

Jakob Fugger Jakob Fugger ''of the Lily'' (german: Jakob Fugger von der Lilie; 6 March 1459 – 30 December 1525), also known as Jakob Fugger ''the Rich'' or sometimes Jakob II, was a major German merchant, mining entrepreneur, and banker. He was a descendan ...

. In 2019,

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

recognized the Water Management System of Augsburg as a

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

because of its unique medieval canals and water towers and its testimony to the development of hydraulic engineering.

Geography

Augsburg lies at the convergence of the Alpine rivers

Lech Lech may refer to: People * Lech (name), a name of Polish origin * Lech, the legendary founder of Poland * Lech (Bohemian prince) Products and organizations * Lech (beer), Polish beer produced by Kompania Piwowarska, in Poznań * Lech Poznań, ...

and Wertach and on the Singold. 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 of Friedberg in the east and the high hills of the west. In the south extends the Lechfeld, an

outwash plain An outwash plain, also called a sandur (plural: ''sandurs''), sandr or sandar, is a plain formed of glaciofluvial deposits due to meltwater outwash at the terminus of a glacier. As it flows, the glacier grinds the underlying rock surface and c ...

of the post

ice age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gre ...

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. Augsburg borders on the nature park Augsburg 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 contest

Entente Florale The Entente Florale Europe (, "Flowery Alliance of Europe") is an international horticultural competition established to recognise municipalities and villages in Europe for excellence in horticultural displays. Trophies are presented annually by t ...

for Europe's greenest and most livable city.

Suburbs and neighbouring municipalities

Augsburg is surrounded by the counties Landkreis Augsburg in the west and Aichach-Friedberg in the east. The suburbs of Augsburg are Friedberg, Königsbrunn, Stadtbergen,

Neusäß Neusäß (English transcription: Neusaess, Swabian: ''Neisäß'', Neusäß ) is a town in the District of Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany. The town lies on the Schmutter river and borders the city of Augsburg. , the city had 22,164 inhabitants.Municipa ...

Gersthofen Gersthofen () is a town in the district of Augsburg, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the west bank of the river Lech, approx. north of Augsburg. Gersthofen is divided into five districts (German: Stadtteile): Batzenhofen, Edenbergen (wi ...

Diedorf Diedorf is a municipality in the district of Augsburg, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the river Schmutter, 9 km west of Augsburg city centre. Geography The municipality of Diedorf consists of the market town of Diedorf and eight vi ...

. Neighbouring municipalities: Rehling, Affing,

Kissing A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

, Mering, Merching, Bobingen, Gessertshausen.

History

Early history

Nuremberg chronicles - Augusta vendilicorum

The city of Augsburg was founded in 15 BC on the orders of

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

. Emperor Augustus conducted extensive military campaigns and established administrative settlements. The settlement that became Augsburg was known as ''Augusta Vindelicorum'', meaning "the Augustan city of the

Vindelici The Vindelici (Gaulish: ) were a Gallic people dwelling around present-day Augsburg (Bavaria) during the Iron Age and the Roman period. Name They are mentioned as by Horace (1st c. BC), as (; var. ) by Strabo (early 1st c. AD), as and (va ...

". The settlement was established at the convergence of the Alpine rivers

and Wertach. In 120 AD Augsburg became the administrative capital of the Roman province

Raetia Raetia ( ; ; also spelled Rhaetia) was a province of the Roman Empire, named after the Rhaetian people. It bordered on the west with the country of the Helvetii, on the east with Noricum, on the north with Vindelicia, on the south-west ...

. Augsburg was sacked by the Huns in the fifth century AD, by

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first ...

in the eighth century, and by

Welf I, Duke of Bavaria Welf I (c. 1035/10406 November 1101) was Duke of Bavaria from 1070 to 1077 and from 1096 to his death. He was the first member of the Welf branch of the House of Este. In the genealogy of the Elder House of Welf, he is counted as Welf IV. Bio ...

in the 11th century.

Augsburg Confession

Augsburg was granted the status of a Free Imperial City on 9 March 1276 and from then until 1803, it was independent of its former overlord, the

Prince-Bishop of Augsburg The Prince-Bishopric of Augsburg (german: Fürstbistum Augsburg; Hochstift Augsburg) was one of the prince-bishoprics of the Holy Roman Empire, and belonged to the Swabian Circle. It should not be confused with the larger diocese of Augsburg, ...

. Frictions between the city-state and the prince-bishops were to remain frequent however, particularly after Augsburg became

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

and curtailed the rights and freedoms of Catholics. With its strategic location at an intersection of trade routes to Italy, the Free Imperial City of Augsburg became a major trading center. Augsburg produced large quantities of woven goods, cloth and textiles. Augsburg became the base of two banking families that rose to great prominence, the Fuggers and the Welsers. The Fugger family donated the

part of the city devoted to housing for needy citizens in 1516, which remains in use today. In 1530, the Augsburg Confession was presented to the Holy Roman Emperor at the Diet of Augsburg. Following the Peace of Augsburg in 1555, after which the rights of religious minorities in imperial cities were to be legally protected, a mixed Catholic–Protestant city council presided over a majority Protestant population; ''see Paritätische Reichsstadt''.

Leading European centre of capitalism of the sixteenth century

Seld Joerg Vogelschauplan von Westen Augsburg

Augsburg's economic boom years occurred during the 15th and 16th centuries thanks to the bank and metal businesses of the merchant families Fugger, Welser and

Hochstetter The family of Höchstetter (also rendered Hechstetter or Hochstetter), from Höchstädt in western Bavaria near the banks of the Danube, were members of the fifteenth and sixteenth-century mercantile patriciate of Augsburg. For a time, these i ...

. These families held a near total monopoly in important industries. Monopolies were considered criminal in contemporary laws and these families' practices were criticized by Martin Luther himself, but as Emperor Charles V needed their financial assistance, he cancelled the charged in the 1530s. In the 16th century Augsburg became one of Germany's largest cities. Augsburg was a major

manufacturing Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to ...

center for textiles,

armor Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat, or f ...

, scientific instruments, as well as gold- and silver-smithing. The prolific

printer Printer may refer to: Technology * Printer (publishing), a person or a company * Printer (computing), a hardware device * Optical printer for motion picture films People * Nariman Printer (fl. c. 1940), Indian journalist and activist * James ...

s of Augsburg also made the city the largest producer of German-language books in the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...

. Like other

free imperial cities In the Holy Roman Empire, the collective term free and imperial cities (german: Freie und Reichsstädte), briefly worded free imperial city (', la, urbs imperialis libera), was used from the fifteenth century to denote a self-ruling city that ...

, Augsburg was an independent entity, and had authority over its

tax A tax is a compulsory financial charge or some other type of levy imposed on a taxpayer (an individual or legal entity) by a governmental organization in order to fund government spending and various public expenditures (regional, local, or n ...

policies. Augsburg's wealth attracted artists seeking

patron Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...

s. The city rapidly became a creative centre for sculptors and musicians. Augsburg became the base of the Holbein family, starting with

Hans Holbein the Elder Hans Holbein the Elder ( , ; german: Hans Holbein der Ältere; – 1524) was a German painter. Life Holbein was born in free imperial city of Augsburg (Germany), and died in Issenheim, Alsace (now France). He belonged to a celebrated family o ...

. The composer Leopold Mozart was born and educated in Augsburg.

Rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

became so prevalent that it became known as "Augsburg style" throughout Germany. Augsburg benefitted majorly from the establishment and expansion of the Kaiserliche 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 by and the early Habsburgs monarches, notably Maximilian I, his son

Philip the Handsome Philip the Handsome, es, Felipe, french: Philippe, nl, Filips (22 July 1478 – 25 September 1506), also called the Fair, was ruler of the Burgundian Netherlands and titular Duke of Burgundy from 1482 to 1506, as well as the first Habsburg Ki ...

and grandson Charles V. 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 from Innsbruck to

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

and from Brussels to Antwerpt, 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).

Witch hunts

Several witch hunts occurred in Augsburg in the late 16th century. Following the 1585–1588 plague epidemic, southeast Germany was shattered by the 1589–1591 witch hunts. Following the 1592–1593 plague epidemic, cities in southeast Germany entered a period of inflation, marked by brutal witch hunts in urban areas.

Thirty Years' War

Religious peace in the city was largely maintained despite increasing tensions up to the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648). In 1629, the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II issued the

Edict of Restitution The Edict of Restitution was proclaimed by Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor in Vienna, on 6 March 1629, eleven years into the Thirty Years' War. Following Catholic League (German), Catholic military successes, Ferdinand hoped to restore control ...

, which restored the legal situation of 1552. However, the edict was revoked in April 1632, when Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden occupied Augsburg. In 1634, the Swedish army was defeated at the nearby Battle of Nördlingen. By October 1634, Catholic troops had surrounded Augsburg. The Swedish army refused to surrender and a

siege A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict characteriz ...

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 as typhus and the plague ravaged the city.

Guilds

In the first half of the 17th century Augsburg was pivotal in the European network of

goldsmith A goldsmith is a metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Nowadays they mainly specialize in jewelry-making but historically, goldsmiths have also made silverware, platters, goblets, decorative and servicea ...

s. Augsburg attracted goldsmith journeymen from all over Europe and in the 18th century a large number of

silversmith A silversmith is a metalworker who crafts objects from silver. The terms ''silversmith'' and ''goldsmith'' are not exactly synonyms as the techniques, training, history, and guilds are or were largely the same but the end product may vary grea ...

s and goldsmiths became master craftsman in Augsburg.

Nine Years' War

In 1686 the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I formed the ''League of Augsburg'', also known as the "Grand Alliance" after England joined in 1689. The coalition consisted at various times of Austria,

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 sq ...

, England, the

, the Electorate of the Palatinate, Portugal, Savoy, Saxony, Spain, Sweden, and the Dutch Republic. The coalition was formed to defend the Electorate of the Palatinate and fought against France in the Nine Years' War.

End of Free Imperial City status

The Reichsdeputationshauptschluss 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 the

was dissolved in 1806, Napoleon encouraged his German allies to mediatize their smaller neighbours, and Augsburg lost its independence. It was annexed to the Kingdom of Bavaria. In 1817, the city became an administrative capital of the ''Oberdonaukreis'', then administrative capital in 1837 for the district Swabia and Neuburg.

Industrial revolution

During the end of the 19th century, Augsburg's textile industry again rose to prominence followed by the machine manufacturing industry.

Second World War and Cold War

Augsburg was historically a militarily important city due to its strategic location. During the German re-armament before the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, 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 to

Füssen Füssen is a town in Bavaria, Germany, in the district of Ostallgäu, situated one kilometre from the Austrian border. The town is known for violin manufacturing and as the closest transportation hub for the Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau ca ...

A-Polish-woman-weeps-as-she-tells-her-story-to-US-troops-142365089506

The

MAN A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromo ...

factory at Augsburg was the largest German manufacturer of engines for U-boats in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

and became the target of the Augsburg Raid. When the Avro Lancaster bomber was new in service, the

RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

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 the Dachau concentration camp outside Augsburg supplied approximately 1,300 forced labourers to local military-related industry, especially the Messerschmitt AG military aircraft firm, headquartered in Augsburg. In 1941, Rudolf Hess, without

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

's permission, secretly took off from a local Augsburg airport and flew to Scotland, crashing in Eaglesham. His objective was to meet the Duke of Hamilton in an attempt to mediate the end of the European front of

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 Wehrmacht II Battalion of Gebirgs-Jäger-Regiment 99 (especially Wehrmacht Panzerjäger Kompanie 14) was 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 when on 28 April 1945, the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

occupied the city. The city and its Messerschmitt works were bombed 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. Following the war, the three Kaserne would change hands confusingly between the American and Germans, finally ending up in US hands for the duration of the Cold 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 former

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

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 by 11th Airborne Division, followed by the 24th Infantry Division, U.S. Army VII Corps artillery, USASA Field Station Augsburg and finally the

66th Military Intelligence Brigade The 66th Military Intelligence Brigade ("Six-Six-M-I" and 66th MIB) is a United States Army brigade, subordinate to United States Army Intelligence and Security Command and based at Wiesbaden Army Airfield, Wiesbaden, Germany. After years of histo ...

, 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 was demolished by the occupying Americans.

Politics

Municipality

From 1266 until 1548, the terms ''Stadtpfleger'' (head of town council) and ''

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

'' were used interchangeably, or occasionally, simultaneously. In 1548 the title was finally fixed to ''Stadtpfleger'', who officiated for several years and was then awarded the title for life (though no longer governing), thus resulting confusingly, in records of two or more simultaneous ''Stadtpfleger''. After the transfer to

in 1806, Augsburg was ruled by a Magistrate with two mayors, supported by an additional council of "Community Commissioners": the ''Gemeindebevollmächtige''. As of 1907, the Mayor was entitled Oberbürgermeister, as Augsburg had reached a population of 100,000, as per the Bavarian Gemeindeordnung.

Mayor

The current mayor of Augsburg is Eva Weber of the Christian 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: ! rowspan=2 colspan=2, Candidate ! rowspan=2, Party ! colspan=2, First round ! colspan=2, Second round , - ! Votes ! % ! Votes ! % , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Eva Weber , align=left, Christian Social Union , 41,534 , 43.1 , 63,762 , 62.3 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Dirk Wurm , align=left, Social Democratic Party , 18,116 , 18.8 , 38,532 , 37.7 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Martina Wild , align=left, Alliance 90/The Greens , 17,851 , 18.5 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Andreas Jurca , align=left, Alternative for Germany , 4,673 , 4.8 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Peter Hummel , align=left,

Free Voters of Bavaria The Free Voters of Bavaria (German: ''Freie Wähler Bayern'') is a conservative political party in Bavaria. It has served as part of the governing coalition there since the 2018 state election under the leading Christian Social Union. The term ...

, 3,053 , 3.2 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Frederik Hintermayr , align=left, The Left , 2,564 , 2.7 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Lisa McQueen , align=left,

Die PARTEI (''Party for Labour, Rule of Law, Animal Protection, Promotion of Elites and Grassroots Democratic Initiative''), or Die PARTEI (''The PARTY''), is a German political party. It was founded in 2004 by the editors of the German satirical magazi ...

, 1,896 , 2.0 , - , , align=left, Bruno Marcon , align=left, Augsburg in the Citizens' Hands , 1,478 , 1.5 , - , , align=left, Anna Tabak , align=left, We are Augsburg , 1,261 , 1.3 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Lars Vollmar , align=left, Free Democratic Party , 1,249 , 1.3 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Christian Pettinger , align=left, Ecological Democratic Party , 1,183 , 1.2 , - , , align=left, Claudia Eberle , align=left, Pro Augsburg , 941 , 1.0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Florian Betz , align=left, V-Partei³ , 678 , 0.7 , - ! colspan=3, Valid votes ! 96,477 ! 99.4 ! 102,294 ! 99.4 , - ! colspan=3, Invalid votes ! 578 ! 0.6 ! 661 ! 0.6 , - ! colspan=3, Total ! 97,055 ! 100.0 ! 102,955 ! 100.0 , - ! colspan=3, Electorate/voter turnout ! 214,110 ! 45.3 ! 213,982 ! 48.1 , - , colspan=7, Source: City of Augsburg
first round

City council

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: ! colspan=2, Party ! Votes ! % ! +/- ! Seats ! +/- , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Christian Social Union (CSU) , 1,653,781 , 32.3 , 5.4 , 20 , 3 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne) , 1,198,090 , 23.4 , 11.0 , 14 , 7 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Social Democratic Party (SPD) , 734,066 , 14.3 , 8.1 , 9 , 4 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Alternative for Germany (AfD) , 337,834 , 6.6 , 0.7 , 4 , ±0 , - , bgcolor=#007E82, , align=left,

(FW) , 230,952 , 4.5 , 0.9 , 3 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, The Left (Die Linke) , 189,034 , 3.7 , 0.5 , 2 , ±0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Free Democratic Party (FDP) , 117,201 , 2.3 , 0.7 , 1 , ±0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Ecological Democratic Party (ÖDP) , 114,119 , 2.2 , 0.3 , 1 , ±0 , - , , align=left, Generation AUX (GenAUX) , 108,956 , 2.1 , New , 1 , New , - , , align=left, Augsburg in the Citizens' Hands (AiB) , 96,690 , 1.9 , New , 1 , New , - , , align=left, Pro Augsburg (PRO A) , 94,346 , 1.8 , 3.3 , 1 , 2 , - , , align=left, We are Augsburg (WSA) , 77,189 , 1.5 , New , 1 , New , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

, 76,557 , 1.5 , New , 1 , New , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, V-Partei³ , 69,643 , 1.4 , New , 1 , New , - , colspan=7 bgcolor=lightgrey, , - , , align=left, Political Voters' Association/

Democracy in Motion Democracy in Motion (german: Demokratie in Bewegung, ) is a minor party in Germany. The basis for the party's founding was a petition on change.org, in which petitioners promised to run as a party in September 2017 at the federal election if the ...

(Polit-WG/DiB) , 29,149 , 0.6 , 2.5 , 0 , 1 , - ! colspan=2, Total ! 5,127,607 ! 100.0 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Invalid votes ! 2,079 ! 2.1 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Total ! 97,013 ! 100.0 ! ! 60 ! ±0 , - ! colspan=2, Electorate/voter turnout ! 214,110 ! 45.3 ! 4.1 ! ! , - , colspan=7, Source
City of Augsburg

Members of the Bundestag

Augsburg is located in the ''Wahlkreis 253 Augsburg-Stadt'' constituency, which includes Königsbrunn and parts of the District of Augsburg ( Landkreis Augsburg). Volker Ullrich of the CSU was directly elected to the Bundestag in the 18th German Bundestag. Indirectly elected to the Bundestag to adhere to the Landesliste were Ulrike Bahr for the SPD and Claudia Roth for

Bündnis 90/Die Grünen Alliance 90/The Greens (german: Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, ), often simply referred to as the Greens ( ), is a green political party in Germany. It was formed in 1993 as the merger of The Greens (formed in West Germany in 1980) and Alliance 90 (for ...

Climate

Augsburg has an oceanic climate (

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

: ''Cfb'') or, following the 0 °C isotherm, a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

(''Dfb'').

Main sights

* Town Hall, built in 1620 in the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

style with the Goldener Saal * Perlachturm, a bell tower built in 989 *

, the oldest social housing estate in the world, inhabited since 1523 * Fuggerhäuser (Fugger houses), restored renaissance palatial homes of the Fugger banking family *Bishop's Residence, built about 1750 in order to replace the older bishop's palace; today the administrative seat of Swabia * Cathedral, founded in the ninth century * St. Anne's Church, medieval church building that was originally part of a monastery built in 1321 *St. Mary's Syriac Orthodox Church on the Zusamstraße in Lechhausen, built 1998 by Suryoye ( Assyrians) *Augsburg Synagogue, one of the few German synagogues to survive the war, now restored and open with a Jewish museum inside * Augsburg textile and industry museum-or just ''tim'', organises it displays under headings Mensch-Maschine-Muster-Mode. * Schaezlerpalais, a Rococo mansion (1765) now housing a major art museum * St. Ulrich and St. Afra—one church is Roman Catholic, the other

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

, the duality being a result of the Peace of Augsburg concluded in 1555 between Catholics and Protestants *Mozart Haus Augsburg (where composer's father Leopold Mozart was born and Mozart visited it several times) * Augsburger Puppenkiste, a puppet theatre *Luther Stiege, museum located in a church, that shows Martin Luthers life and different rooms. (free admission) * Eiskanal, the world's first artificial whitewater course (venue for the whitewater events of the 1972 Munich Olympics) * Dorint Hotel Tower *Childhood home of Bertolt Brecht *The Augsburg Botanical Gardens ( Botanischer Garten Augsburg) * Maximillian Museum * 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, build for the 1500th anniversary of city foundation *Walter Art Museum at the ''Glas Palast'' ("Glas-Palace") *Roman Museum located in the former Monastery of St. Margaret (closed at the moment due to risk of collapsing). Renovation is taking place and the museum is expected to reopen in 2017. *Medieval canals, used to run numerous industries, medieval arms production, silver art, sanitation and water pumping *

Kulturhaus Abraxas Kulturhaus Abraxas is a cultural institution of the city of Augsburg. Here, Abraxas is a backronym for ''Atrium, Bühne, Restaurant, Ateliers, experimentelle Musik in Augsburg an der Sommestraße''. The Reese Barracks was formerly owned by the US ...

Fuenfgratturm1.JPG, ''Fünfgratturm'' tower Germany Augsburg Dom-St-Maria Door Handle.jpg, Ring of Mercy on the Dom (Cathedral) St. Maria Augsburg Synagoge.jpg, Augsburg Synagogue Augsburg - st ulrich u afra.jpg, St. Ulrich and St. Afra Cathedral Rechtfertigungslehre St.-Anna Augsburg rectified.jpg, Plaque commemorating the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification at St. Anne's Church

Water Management System

The water systems of Augsburg have been the site of innovations in hydraulic engineering for centuries. 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. The canals channeling this water through the city were first mentioned in 1276, and by 1416, waterworks, pumps, and water towers were added to effectively distribute this water. In 1545, Augsburg was one of the first European towns to separate drinking water from water used for industry, effectively preventing water-borne diseases. The pumps and waterwheels also generated power for fountains and food processing, such as a 17th-century butcher's hall that still stands today. In the 19th and 20th centuries, hydroelectic 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. On 6 July 2019, the Water Management System of Augsburg was designated as a

Urban legends

Goddess Cisa and the Stadtpir

The pagan goddess Cisa has been linked to the civic emblem of Augsburg, known as Stadtpir. Cisa and the Stadtpir came to represent the prosperity of the city. The Stadtpir was stamped on cloth that was approved by the town cloth inspector. Metalworks produced in the city were also stamped with the Stadtpir. The Stadtpir adorns the 17th century town hall.

The Stoinerne Ma

The "Stoinerne Ma" ("Stony Man") is a life-size stone figure on the eastern Augsburg city wall in the area of the so-called "Sweden staircase", which is located in the immediate vicinity of the Galluskirche and St. Stephan convent (on the outside of the city wall). It is probably a one-armed baker with a loaf of bread and a shield. In the area of the feet there is a helically twisted pedestal. According to the legend, it is the baker "Konrad Hackher" who, during a long siege of the city, baked bread from sawdust and threw it into the ditch clearly visible for the besiegers over the city wall. The impression that Augsburg would still have so much bread that one could throw it over the wall is said to have demoralized the besiegers so much that they fired at him with a crossbow out of anger. A hit struck off his arm, and soon afterwards the siege was broken off. Historically, the event belongs to the Thirty Years' War, more precisely to the siege of Augsburg during the years 1634/35, when Catholic Bavarian troops under Field Marshal von Wahl wanted to recapture the city occupied by the Protestant Swedes. The baker's deed is not reliably proven. The statue is often visited by walkers strolling along the city wall. As it is said to be a fortunate thing to touch the stone figure's iron nose. This custom is particularly popular with lovers.

=Bei den sieben Kindeln

= In the wall of the property ''Bei den Sieben Kindeln 3'' ("At the seven infants 3") there is a recessed stone relief from the Roman period. Legend says that the commemorative plaque was commissioned by a Roman officer to commemorate the drowning of one of his children (therefore it is said to be "seven" children, although the plaque represents only six: the seventh child is drowned and lies in the coffin). According to current knowledge, the plate once formed the long side of a Sarcophagus.

Lazarethe plague houses

The city of Augsburg had two civic plague houses. The two civic plague houses, called ''Lazarethe'', were established when the black death first appeared in Augsburg in 1349. Thereafter they were opened whenever a plague epidemic occurred in the city. As soon as a medical practitioner, such as a barber surgeon, diagnosed the plague the patients were transferred to the plague houses by order of the city council. The transfer to the plague houses was publicly announced, so as to prevent panic and the breakdown of economic life. In the second half of the 18th century, the plague houses were used to treat other diseases, such as

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

and scurvy.

Incorporations

Population

Historical development

Twin towns – sister cities

Augsburg is twinned with: * Inverness, Scotland, UK (1956) * Amagasaki, Japan (1959) * Nagahama, Japan (1959) * Bourges, France (1963) * Dayton, United States (1964) * Liberec, Czech Republic (2001) * Jinan, China (2004) * Délegyháza, Hungary (2022)

Transport

Roads

The main road link is

autobahn The (; German plural ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official German term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track' ...

A 8 between

and Stuttgart.

Public transport

Public transport is very well catered for. It is controlled by the Augsburger Verkehrs- und Tarifverbund (Augsburg transport and tariff association, AVV) extended over central Swabia. There are seven rail Regionalbahn lines, five

tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

lines, 27 city bus lines and six night bus lines, as well as several taxi companies. The Augsburg tramway network is now 35.5 km-long after the opening of new lines to the

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

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.

Intercity bus

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

Railway

Augsburg has seven stations, the

Central Station Central stations or central railway stations emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century as railway stations that had initially been built on the edge of city centres were enveloped by urban expansion and became an integral part of the ...

(''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 still providing services in the original building. It is currently being modernized and an underground tram station is built underneath it.

Hauptbahnhof Central stations or central railway stations emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century as railway stations that had initially been built on the edge of city centres were enveloped by urban expansion and became an integral part of the ...

is on the Munich–Augsburg and Ulm–Augsburg lines and is connected by

ICE Ice is water frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 degrees Celsius or Depending on the presence of impurities such as particles of soil or bubbles of air, it can appear transparent or a more or less opaqu ...

and IC services to

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

, Dortmund,

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

and Stuttgart. As of December 2007, the French TGV connected Augsburg with a direct High Speed Connection to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

. In addition EC and night train services connect to Amsterdam,

and

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

and connections will be substantially improved by the creation of the planned Magistrale for Europe. The AVV operates seven Regionalbahn lines from the main station to: * Mammendorf * Schmiechen (direction to Ammersee) *

Aichach Aichach (; Central Bavarian: ''Oacha'') is a town in Germany, located in the Bundesland of Bavaria and situated just northeast of Augsburg. It is the capital of the district of Aichach-Friedberg. The municipality of Aichach counts some 20,000 inh ...

/ Radersdorf *

Meitingen Meitingen is a market town in the district of Augsburg, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the left bank of the Lech, south of Donauwörth, and north of Augsburg. History Meitingen was firstly mentioned in a certificate in 1231. Since ...

Donauwörth Donauwörth () is a town and the capital of the Donau-Ries district in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany. It is said to have been founded by two fishermen where the rivers Danube (Donau) and Wörnitz meet. The city is part of the scenic route called "Roman ...

* Dinkelscherben * Schwabmünchen * Klosterlechfeld Starting in 2008, the regional services are planned to be altered to S-Bahn frequencies and developed long term as integrated into the Augsburg S-Bahn.

Air transport

Until 2005 Augsburg was served by nearby Augsburg Airport (AGB). In that year all air passenger transport was relocated to Munich Airport. Since then, the airport is used almost entirely by business airplanes.

Economy

Augsburg is a vibrant industrial city. Many global market leaders namely

, EADS or

KUKA KUKA is a German manufacturer of industrial robots and systems for factory automation. It has been predominantly owned by the Chinese company Midea Group since 2016. The KUKA Robotics Corporation has 25 subsidiaries, mostly sales and servi ...

produce high technology products like printing systems, large diesel engines, industrial robots or components for the Airbus A380 and the Ariane carrier rocket. After

, Augsburg is considered the high-tech centre for Information and Communication in Bavaria and takes advantage of its lower

operating cost Operating costs or operational costs, are the expenses which are related to the operation of a business, or to the operation of a device, component, piece of equipment or facility. They are the cost of resources used by an organization just to main ...

s, yet close proximity to Munich and potential customers. In 2018 the Bavarian State Government recognized this fact and promoted Augsburg to ''Metropole''.

Major companies

*Boewe Systec *

Faurecia Faurecia SE is a French global automotive supplier headquartered in Nanterre, in the western suburbs of Paris. In 2018 it was the 9th largest international automotive parts manufacturer in the world and #1 for vehicle interiors and emission contr ...

Fujitsu Technology Solutions Fujitsu Technology Solutions is a European information technology vendor with a presence in markets in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, as well as India. A subsidiary of Fujitsu Limited headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, FTS was founded in 2009 after ...

Robotics / Systems *

(Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg) *

manroland Manroland AG manufactures newspaper web offset presses, commercial web offset presses, and sheetfed offset presses for commercial, publications and packaging printing. The company has production facilities in Offenbach am Main and Augsburg. Ma ...

*MT-Aerospace (former ''MAN Technologie'') * NCR * Osram * Premium AEROTEC *RENK AG (offshoot of

MAN SE MAN SE (abbreviation of ''Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg'', ) was a manufacturing and engineering company based in Munich, Germany. Its primary output was commercial vehicles and diesel engines through its MAN Truck & Bus and MAN Latin Ame ...

) * Siemens *

UPM-Kymmene UPM-Kymmene Oyj is a Finnish forest industry company. UPM-Kymmene was formed by the merger of Kymmene Corporation with Repola Oy and its subsidiary United Paper Mills Ltd in 1996. UPM consists of six business areas: UPM Fibres, UPM Energy, UPM ...

(former Haindl) *WashTec (former Kleindienst) * Synlab Group *

Cancom Shaw Broadcast Services (French: Services de Radiodiffusion Shaw) is the division of Canadian telecommunications company Shaw Communications that is responsible for providing and managing the distribution of television channels to cable companies ...

*Check24 * Amazon * Patrizia Immobilien

Education

Augsburg is home to the following universities and colleges: *

University of Augsburg The University of Augsburg (german: Universität Augsburg) is a university located in the Universitätsviertel section of Augsburg, Germany. It was founded in 1970 and is organized in 8 Faculties. The University of Augsburg is a relatively you ...

, founded in 1970 * Hochschule Augsburg (University of Applied Sciences, formerly Fachhochschule Augsburg)

Media

The local newspaper is the ''

Augsburger Allgemeine The ''Augsburger Allgemeine Zeitung'' is a major German regional daily newspaper published since 1945. History From 1807 to 1882, another paper named ''Allgemeine Zeitung'' was published in Augsburg but it is not connected to the later newspape ...

'' first published in 1807.

Notable people

* Saint Afra, died 304 * Simpert, died 807 * Saint Ulrich (c. 890–973) * Saint Wolfhard (1070–1127) * Jakob Fugger the Elder (1398–1469) *

Erhard Ratdolt Erhard Ratdolt (1442–1528) was an early German printer from Augsburg. He was active as a printer in Venice from 1476 to 1486, and afterwards in Augsburg. From 1475 to 1478 he was in partnership with two other German printers. The first book ...

(1442–1528), Printer, famous for having produced the first known printers type specimen book *

(1459–1525), Noted banker and financial broker. An area within the city, called the

was set aside for the poor and needy. Founded in 1519 *

(1460–1524), a pioneer in the transformation of German art from the Gothic to the

style * Hans Holbein the Younger (1497–1543), portrait and religious painter * Matthäus Schwarz (1497–c. 1574), accountant and author *

Paulus Hector Mair Paulus Hector Mair (1517–1579) was a German civil servant fencing master from Augsburg. He collected Fechtbücher and undertook to compile all knowledge of the art of fencing in a compendium surpassing all earlier books. For this, he engaged the ...

(1517–1579), martial artist *

Elias Holl Elias Holl (28 February 1573 in Augsburg – 6 January 1646 in Augsburg) was the most important architect of late German Renaissance architecture. Life Elias Holl was born in Augsburg, Werbhausgasse 2. He was descended from a master-builder- ...

(1573–1646), architect *

Philipp Hainhofer Philipp Hainhofer (21 July 1578 – 1647) was a merchant, banker, diplomat and art collector in Augsburg. He is remembered, among other things, for the curiosity cabinets (''Kunstschränke'') which he created with the assistance of a large num ...

(1578–1647), merchant, banker, diplomat and art collector *

Julius Schiller Julius Schiller (c. 1580 – 1627) was a lawyer from Augsburg, who like his fellow citizen and colleague Johann Bayer published a star atlas in celestial cartography. In the year of his death, Schiller, with Bayer's assistance, published th ...

(1580–1627), lawyer and astronomer * Johann Georg Wirsung (1589–1643), anatomist * Andreas Christoph Graf (1701–1776), German teacher, author and poet * Johann Jakob Haid (1704–1767), engraver * Leopold Mozart (1719–1787), violinist-composer and father of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart * Christoph Christian Sturm (1740–1786), preacher and author * Eduard Bayer (1822–1908), composer and classical guitarist *

Rudolf Diesel Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel (, ; 18 March 1858 – 29 September 1913) was a German inventor and mechanical engineer who is famous for having invented the diesel engine, which burns diesel fuel; both are named after him. Early life and educat ...

(1858–1913), inventor of the diesel engine * Albert Rehm (1871–1949), philologist who first understood the significance of the Antikythera mechanism * Hans von Euler-Chelpin (1873–1964), co-recipient of 1929 Nobel Prize in Chemistry * Karl Haberstock (1878–1956), Art dealer to the Nazis * Artur Lauinger (1879–1961), German journalist * Julius Streicher (1885–1946), prominent Nazi prior to World War II, founder and publisher of anti-Semitic '' Der Stürmer'' newspaper, executed for war crimes * Julius Schaxel (1887–1943), biologist * Hans Loritz (1895–1946), Nazi SS concentration camp commandant * Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956), writer and theater director * August Schmidhuber (1901–1947), Nazi SS officer executed for war crimes *

Wilhelm Gerstenmeier ''SS-Hauptsturmführer'' Wilhelm Gerstenmeier (17 January 1908 – 3 December 1944) was a German member of the SS (member number 13300) during World War II. He was convicted of atrocities committed at the Majdanek concentration camp in occupied ...

(1908–1944), SS concentration camp officer executed for war crimes * Josef Priller (1915–1961),

ace * Mietek Pemper (1920–2011), Polish-born Jew compiled and typed Oskar Schindler's list, which saved 1,200 Jewish prisoners from the Holocaust. * Günther Schneider-Siemssen (1926–2015), scenic designer * Werner Haas (1927–1956), Grand Prix motorcycle road racer * Ulrich Biesinger (1933–2011), former German footballer, part of the team that won the 1954 FIFA World Cup *

Helmut Haller Helmut Haller (; 21 July 1939 – 11 October 2012) was a German footballer who played as a forward. At international level, he represented West Germany at three World Cups. At club level, he played in both Germany and Italy, and won Italian l ...

(1939–2012), footballer who represented

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

at three

World Cups A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

* Hans Henning Atrott (born 1944), German author and theorist *

Wolf Blitzer Wolf Isaac Blitzer (born March 22, 1948) is an American journalist, television news anchor, and author who has been a CNN reporter since 1990, and who currently serves as one of the principal anchors at the network. He is the host of ''The Situa ...

(born 1948), American journalist and CNN reporter *

Bernhard Langer Bernhard Langer (; born 27 August 1957) is a German professional golfer. He is a two-time Masters champion and was one of the world's leading golfers throughout the 1980s and 1990s. In 1986, he became the sport's first official number one ran ...

(born 1957), professional golfer * Günther K.H. Zupanc (born 1958), neurobiologist, researcher, university teacher, book author, journal editor, and educational reformer *

Bernd Schuster Bernd Schuster (born 22 December 1959) is a German former professional footballer of the late 1970s through early 1990s, who won club titles playing for the Spanish sides FC Barcelona (1980–1987) and Real Madrid (1988–1990). He played as a m ...

(born 1959), football coach and former player *

Armin Veh Armin Veh (; born 1 February 1961) is a German football manager and former player who last managed Eintracht Frankfurt. He won the German championship with Bundesliga team VfB Stuttgart in 2007. Veh and his team also had the chance to win "the ...

(born 1961), football coach *

Sheryl Lee Sheryl Lynn Lee (born April 22, 1967) is a German-born American film, stage, and television actress. After studying acting in college, Lee relocated to Seattle, Washington to work in theater, where she was cast by David Lynch as Laura Palmer and ...

(born 1967), actress, poet, and activist * Alexander Wesselsky (born 1968), lead singer of the German band Eisbrecher * Florian Hecker (born 1975), experimental electronic music composer * Marisa Olson (born 1977), artist * Benny Greb (born 1980), solo drum artist * Andreas Bourani (born 1983), singer-songwriter * Philipp Kohlschreiber (born 1983), tennis player * Bianca Voitek (born 1985), female bodybuilder * Maximilian Hornung (born 1986), cellist * Stefan Bradl (born 1989), motorcycle racer *

Johnny Cecotto Jr. Johnny Amadeus Cecotto, more commonly known as Johnny Cecotto Jr. (born 9 September 1989 in Augsburg, West Germany) is a racing driver. He races with a Venezuelan license but holds both German and Venezuelan nationality. He is the son of former ...

(born 1989), racing driver * Nico Sturm (born 1995), ice hockey player

Sports

FC Augsburg is a football team based in Augsburg and plays in the WWK ARENA to the south of the city centre. FC Augsburg secured promotion to Bundesliga in 2011 and have remained there ever since, qualifying for the Europa 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 the 2015-16 Europa League with a 1-0 aggregate defeat to

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

. The WWK ARENA, nicknamed the "Anfield of the B17 Highway" following the Liverpool UEL match, opened in July 2009 and also hosted games of the 2011 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 a

DEL Del, or nabla, is an operator used in mathematics (particularly in vector calculus) as a vector differential operator, usually represented by the nabla symbol ∇. When applied to a function defined on a one-dimensional domain, it denotes ...

(first-division) ice hockey team, the Augsburger Panther. The original club, AEV, was formed in 1878, the oldest German ice sport club and regularly draws around 4000 spectators, quite reasonable for German ice hockey. Home games are played at the

Curt Frenzel Stadion The Curt Frenzel Stadium (Curt-Frenzel-Stadion) is an arena in Augsburg, Germany. It is used for ice hockey in the German DEL as home arena for the Augsburger Panther The Augsburger Panther are a professional ice hockey team in the Deutsch ...

: 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 the

Champions Hockey League The Champions Hockey League is a European first-level ice hockey tournament. Launched in the 2014–15 season by 26 clubs, 6 leagues and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), the tournament features top teams across Europe. Backgrou ...

. 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 nearby Königsbrunn there's the Königsbrunn Ants. For the 1972 Olympic Games in

, a

dam protective diversionary canal for river ice was converted into the world's first artificial whitewater slalom course: the Eiskanal and remains a world-class venue for whitewater competition and served as prototype for two dozen similar foreign courses.

Local city nicknames

While commonly called ''Fuggerstadt'' (Fuggers' city) due to the

Fuggers The House of Fugger () is a German upper bourgeois family that was historically a prominent group of European bankers, members of the fifteenth- and sixteenth-century mercantile patriciate of Augsburg, international mercantile bankers, and ven ...

residing there, within Swabia it is also often referred to as ''Datschiburg'': which originated sometime in the 19th century refers to Augsburg's favorite sweet: the ''Datschi'' made from fruit, preferably prunes, and thin cake dough. The ''Datschiburger Kickers'' charity football team (founded in 1965) reflects this in its choice of team name.Augsburger Stadtlexikon – ''Datschiburger Kickers''
accessed: 18 November 2008 Among younger people, the city is commonly called "Aux" for short.

Notes

References

*''Die Chroniken der schwäbischen Städte, Augsburg'', (Leipzig, 1865–1896). *Werner, ''Geschichte der Stadt Augsburg'', (Augsburg, 1900). *Lewis, "The Roman Antiquities of Augsburg and Ratisbon", in volume xlviii, ''Archæological Journal'', (London, 1891). *Michael Schulze, ''Augsburg in one day. A city tour'' Lehmstedt Verlag, Leipzig 2015, .

Bibliography

External links

Stadt Augsburg
Official site (English version)
Augsburg Tourism
Official tourism portal for Augsburg region

District of AugsburgHydraulic Engineering and Hydropower, Drinking Water and Decorative Fountains in Augsburg
{{Authority control Roman towns and cities in Germany 15 BC establishments Venues of the 1972 Summer Olympics Displaced persons camps in the aftermath of World War II 1270s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire 1276 establishments in Europe 1803 disestablishments in the Holy Roman Empire Free imperial cities States and territories established in 1276 States and territories disestablished in 1803 World Heritage Sites in Germany