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Off the Blue Book Trail: Augsburg

"It lacks must-see sights, but the old town is pleasant, especially the small streets below the main square, where streams diverted from the River Lech run alongside pedestrians."

That's all Rick Steves has to say about Augsburg, despite it's prime location on the Romantic Road (which he recommends) and despite noting that, at over 2,000 years old, Augsburg is one of Germany's 3 oldest cities. Indeed, despite it's super convenient location (it also sits between Stuttgart and Munich, and is only 30 minutes by train from the latter city) it's often overlooked by American tourists and even American expats. Which is a shame, because after an overnight there, I'd say it's probably my second favorite city in the state of Bavaria (after Nuremberg). It's certainly a city that should be recommended for at least a few hours' stopover if it's on the way (and for most visitors to Southern Germany, it will be at some point) but there's enough to see and do for fans of history and culture that you can easily spend 2 days here and not see all sights of interest.

From the historical perspective, Augsburg's importance lies in it's status as a Free Imperial City of the Holy Roman Empire that was also situated on many of the most important medieval trading routes. It was the richest city in all of Germany during the Renaissance, when Munich was a relative backwater. As a result, there isn't much of a medieval atmosphere - instead the glorious architecture of the city is a mixture of Italian and German Renaissance styles, and the city includes Germany's first Renaissance buildings, thanks to the Fuggers. The Fuggers were a trading family that replaced the Medicis in terms of influence and power. Jakob Fugger remains one of the richest men to have ever lived. The Fugger influence is inseparable from Augsburg, as many of the most glorious buildings and monuments in the city are a direct result of Fugger money.

The relatively large inner city is beautiful throughout, with surprisingly unified architecture and many pedestrian-only streets, and what seems like dozens of fountains. But the highlight is the 17th century Rathaus, which is by far the biggest Rathaus in Germany. I've never seen anything like it. Inside you can visit the beautifully restored Golden Hall which has to be seen to be believed. It's not hard to imagine the Imperial Diet taking place there. It's next to a beautiful large tower, which combine to make a stunning backdrop to the Christkindlmarkt which was currently running during our visit. It was a particularly nice Christmas market, with some goods I hadn't seen elsewhere and particularly delicious food, such as tiny maultaschen (Swabian ravolis) fried with bacon and onions, and the local "Bosna" sausage topped with ketchup and a fiery spice. It was also nicely laid out, with wide lanes, which prevented it from feeling too crowded or hectic. During the weekends there are several additional unique markets throughout the city, as well as choir performances for the Christmas season.

Augsburg was an early center of Christianity, and as a result is bursting with many impressive churches all within walking distance of each other. The main Cathedral houses the oldest figurative stained glass in Europe dating to the 11th century, and the St. Afra and Ulrich Basilica houses the remains of both saints who have colorful legends surrounding them. St. Anna's exterior is hidden by scaffolding at the moment (and in the heart of the inner city so it stands out less than the other two) but features a beautiful Baroque interior by the Asam Brothers as well as an amazing frescoes Goldsmith's chapel from 1420. There was also the remodeled and creepy St. Mortiz church, which was the personal church of the Fugger family. We only made it to those four, but there are at least three more interesting churches in the city center.

Continued....

Posted by
3049 posts

Augsburg is also unique in that it's home to one of Germany's few synagogues that weren't destroyed during Kristallnacht. The synagogue was finished in 1918 and features architecture that's a combination of art nouveau and orientalist styles. It was restored and rededicated in the 1980s and is simply stunning. It also houses Germany's first museum dedicated to Jewish culture, which is beautifully laid out and features some great artifacts. Unfortunately the displays are only in German and the English pamphlet that is available is more of a discussion of the history of Jews in Augsburg and Bavarian Swabia than a guide to the exhibits specifically. (And strangely, despite featuring many Swabian Jewish emigres, leaves out Einstein, born in Ulm, and Wolf Blitzer, born in Augsburg).

In addition to CNN anchors, Augsburg was the birthplace of Mozart's father and in fact, was the home of the Mozart family for many generations prior, and also of Berthold Brecht, and you can visit the houses of both. We didn't get a chance to ourselves.

We did visit the Schaezlerpalais, a baroque mansion that houses the gallery of old German masters with many paintings by Holbein and Amsburger, as well as Cranach the elder and the famous portrait of Jakob Fugger by Albrecht Durer (the highlight of my visit!) In addition to the great paintings which bridge the gap between medieval art and the Rennissance, the palace also features a stunning Roccoco ballroom, considered the most important in all of Germany.

The city also features many beautiful canals running along narrow streets in the old section of town down the hill from the Rathaus, with cute boutiques and trendy restaurants. There's also many fortifications and towers that survive, although we only saw a few from afar. There's also the Fuggerei, the world's first social housing project created by the Fuggers as a good deed to help them get to heaven. It still houses over 100 needy people for the sum of .88 euro cents per year (utilities not included). It can be toured and has a museum, but we ran out of time.

We also missed the Roman museum, the city museum (which features gold and silverwork the city was famous for), and the puppet museum, among others. I wasn't kidding when I said there was plenty to do in Augsburg!

If you want to see my (smartphone - so not amazing quality) pictures of my visit, here's the link: https://plus.google.com/photos/104521238765186605359/albums/5956052459607435169?authkey=CJrshYvu-LDAyQE

Posted by
12040 posts

Thanks for the report, Sarah. I may have to give Augsburg a second look- first blick was an unimpressive drive-through.

I feared these "Beyond the Blue Book" reports may have just been a few of us shouting in an echo chamber, but a few other people have written back on their experiences in Büdigen, Marburg, the Neckar River Valley and Lech am Arlberg. So, I perhaps it's worth the effort after all.

Posted by
3049 posts

Thanks, Tom! I don't know if I'd insist a first time visitor to Germany HAS to go to Augsburg, but since it's on the Romantic Road AND the A8, it seems like a natural fit for some itineraries in Southern Germany. I certainly enjoyed it much more than Ulm and Koln, which are both pretty boring except for their cathedrals (in my opinion) yet both seem to attract more visitors for some reason.

Posted by
2020 posts

Thank you for a great report. It is always refreshing and informative to learn about other destinations . I especially liked the Chag Sameach cookies with the wreath and candle...cover all the bases, that's my motto. Happy holidays Sarah!

Posted by
3940 posts

We spent a night in Augsburg in 2010 on our way from Strasbourg to Munich. It was around Oktoberfest time and we thought we'd spend the night, get up early and hit Munich, have our night there then off to Salzburg (this was our whirlwind 'hubby wants to see everything trip'). Well, that plan would have worked, but we were couchsurfing with this lovely young woman and we ended up staying almost the whole next day, arriving in the evening to Munich and only having until supper the next evening - Munich got very shortchanged! But our hostess showed us around Augsburg - the Rathaus where we stuck in our heads - up the Perlachturm for lovely views of the city...I believe we also visited the Dom Maria Heimsuchung cathedral - I'm pretty sure that was the one. I know without our cs friend, we would have probably seen the main square then off we would have went...it really is nice to hook up with a local!

Posted by
32173 posts

Sarah,

Thanks for the great Trip Report! I don't totally follow the Guidebooks all the time, but for some reason Augsburg just wasn't "on the radar" of places that I want to see. I'll definitely add it to the list.

Posted by
10123 posts

Great and very informative. Loved the album. What's your husband eating in that photo?

Posted by
1633 posts

Like yourself, we really enjoyed the Christmas market in Augsburg.