Augsburg

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, Gersthofen, Diedorf.

Neighbouring municipalities: Rehling, Affing, Kissing, Mering, Merching, Bobingen, Gessertshausen.

Panorama of Augsburg, 1493

Perlach market place in 1550

The city of Augsburg was founded in 15 BC on the orders of Emperor Augustus.[11] Emperor Augustus conducted extensive military campaigns and established administrative settlements. The Roman colony that became Augsburg was known as Augusta Vindelicorum, meaning "the Augustan city of the Vindelici".[12] The settlement was established at the convergence of the Alpine rivers Lech and Wertach. In 120 AD Augsburg became the administrative capital of the Roman province of Raetia.[13] Augsburg was sacked by the Huns in the fifth century AD, by Charlemagne in the eighth century and by Welf I, Duke of Bavaria in the 11th century.

Mixed Imperial City of Augsburg Paritätische Reichsstadt Augsburg
1276–1803 (occupied by Sweden: 1632–35)
Coat of arms of Augsburg before 1985
Status	Mixed Imperial City (State of the Holy Roman Empire)
Capital	Augsburg
Government	Republic
Historical era	Middle Ages
• Bishopric established	4th century
• Bishopric gained Imperial immediacy	c. 888
• City gained immediacy	1276
• Diet of Augsburg: Confessio Augustana	1530
• Joined Schmalkadic League	1537
• Peace of Augsburg	1555
• Occupied by Sweden	1632–35
• Mediatised to Bavaria	1803
Preceded by Succeeded by Prince-Bishopric of Augsburg Kingdom of Bavaria

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. Frictions between the city-state and the prince-bishops were to remain frequent however, particularly after Augsburg became Protestant 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 Fuggerei part of the city devoted to housing for needy citizens in 1516, which remains in use today.[14]

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.[15]

A "bird view" plan of western Augsburg, 1521

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. 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.[16][17] In the 16th century Augsburg became one of Germany's largest cities. Augsburg was a major manufacturing center for textiles, armor, scientific instruments, as well as gold- and silver-smithing. The prolific printers of Augsburg also made the city the largest producer of German-language books in the Holy Roman Empire. Like other free imperial cities, Augsburg was an independent entity, and had authority over its tax policies.[18]

Augsburg's wealth attracted artists seeking patrons. 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. The composer Leopold Mozart was born and educated in Augsburg.[19] Rococo 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 Franz von Taxis and the early Habsburgs monarches, notably Maximilian I, his son Philip the Handsome and grandson Charles V.[20][21] 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 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).[22]

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.[23]

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, 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 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.[24]

In the first half of the 17th century Augsburg was pivotal in the European network of goldsmiths. Augsburg attracted goldsmith journeymen from all over Europe and in the 18th century a large number of silversmiths and goldsmiths became master craftsman in Augsburg.[25]

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, Brandenburg, England, the Holy Roman Empire, 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.

Early 18th century map of Augsburg and surrounding area

A map of Augsburg in 1800

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 Holy Roman Empire 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.

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

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

A Polish woman weeps as she tells American soldiers of her life as a slave labourer for the Nazis. She was liberated in Augsburg when the third largest Bavarian city fell to the Americans (23 April 1945).

The MAN factory at Augsburg was the largest German manufacturer of engines for U-boats in World War II and became the target of the Augsburg Raid. When the Avro Lancaster bomber was new in service, the RAF 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.[26][27]

In 1941 Rudolf Hess, without Adolf Hitler'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 World War II 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 on 28 April 1945 when the U.S. Army 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.[28]

Following the war the three Kasernen changed 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 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, 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.

From 1266 until 1548, the terms Stadtpfleger (head of town council) and Mayor 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 Bavaria 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.

The mayor of Augsburg has been 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:

Results of the 2020 city council election

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:

Party		Votes	%	+/-	Seats	+/-
	Christian Social Union (CSU)	1,653,781	32.3	5.4	20	3
	Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne)	1,198,090	23.4	11.0	14	7
	Social Democratic Party (SPD)	734,066	14.3	8.1	9	4
	Alternative for Germany (AfD)	337,834	6.6	0.7	4	±0
	Free Voters of Bavaria (FW)	230,952	4.5	0.9	3	1
	The Left (Die Linke)	189,034	3.7	0.5	2	±0
	Free Democratic Party (FDP)	117,201	2.3	0.7	1	±0
	Ecological Democratic Party (ÖDP)	114,119	2.2	0.3	1	±0
	Generation AUX (GenAUX)	108,956	2.1	New	1	New
	Augsburg in the Citizens' Hands (AiB)	96,690	1.9	New	1	New
	Pro Augsburg (PRO A)	94,346	1.8	3.3	1	2
	We are Augsburg (WSA)	77,189	1.5	New	1	New
	Die PARTEI	76,557	1.5	New	1	New
	V-Partei³	69,643	1.4	New	1	New
	Political Voters' Association/Democracy in Motion (Polit-WG/DiB)	29,149	0.6	2.5	0	1
Total		5,127,607	100.0
Invalid votes		2,079	2.1
Total		97,013	100.0		60	±0
Electorate/voter turnout		214,110	45.3	4.1
Source: City of Augsburg

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.[29]

The water systems of Augsburg have been the site of innovations in hydraulic engineering for centuries.[32] 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.[33] The canals channelling this water through the city were first mentioned in 1276, and by 1416 waterworks, pumps and water towers were added to distribute this water effectively.[33] In 1545 Augsburg was one of the first European towns to separate drinking water from water used for industry, effectively preventing water-borne diseases.[9] The pumps and waterwheels also generated power for fountains and food processing, such as a 17th-century butcher's hall that still stands today.[33] 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.[33]

On 6 July 2019 the Water Management System of Augsburg was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[34]

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 had been 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.[35]

The "Stoinerne Ma" ("Stony Man") is a life-size stone figure on the eastern city wall in the area of the so-called 'Sweden staircase', 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 to 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. Touching the stone figure's iron nose is said to bring good luck so this custom is particularly popular with lovers.

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 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.

The city of Augsburg had two civic plague houses, called Lazarethe, 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 and scurvy.[36]

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

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 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 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.[39]

There is one station for intercity bus services in Augsburg: Augsburg Nord, located in the north of the city.[40]

The front of the station

Augsburg has seven stations, 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 still providing services in the original building. It is currently being modernized and an underground tram station is built underneath it. Hauptbahnhof is on the Munich–Augsburg and Ulm–Augsburg lines and is connected by ICE and IC services to Munich, Berlin, Dortmund, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Stuttgart. As of December 2007, the French TGV connected Augsburg with a direct High Speed Connection to Paris. In addition EC and night train services connect to Amsterdam, Paris and Vienna 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/Radersdorf
• Meitingen/Donauwörth
• 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.

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.[41]

• Boewe Systec[43]
• Faurecia
• Fujitsu Technology Solutions
• KUKA Robotics / Systems
• MAN (Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg)
• manroland
• MT-Aerospace (former MAN Technologie)
• NCR
• Osram
• Premium AEROTEC
• RENK AG (offshoot of MAN SE)
• Siemens
• UPM-Kymmene (former Haindl)
• WashTec (former Kleindienst)
• Synlab Group
• Cancom
• Check24
• Amazon
• Patrizia Immobilien

Helmut Haller, 1969

• 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 (1939–2012), footballer who represented West Germany at three World Cups
• Bernhard Langer (born 1957), professional golfer
• Bernd Schuster (born 1959), football coach and former player
• Armin Veh (born 1961), football coach
• Alexander Grau (born 1973), racing driver
• Philipp Kohlschreiber (born 1983), former tennis player
• Thomas Holzer (born 1985), racing driver
• Stefan Bradl (born 1989), motorcycle racer
• Johnny Cecotto Jr. (born 1989), racing driver
• Phoenix Sanders (born 1995), American baseball pitcher in the San Francisco Giants organization
• Nico Sturm (born 1995), ice hockey player