Travel Tips

Jacob Fugger the Rich founded the settlement named Fuggerei in 1521 to give poor Augsburg citizens cheap housing and a chance for a better life. That makes it the oldest social housing project in the world. The 67 buildings of the Fuggerei still serve for the same purpose today.

Candidates have to fulfill three conditions to be accepted as inhabitants: The candidate has to be needy, catholic, and have a flawless reputation. The rent is still the same as in the 16th century, the equivalent of one Rhenish guilder per year(!), in those times this was about the income a craftsman earned in one week. In today's currency, this sums up to 88 Euro cents excluding heating.
Besides, each inhabitant is obliged to say three prayers per day for the founders and the Fugger family. Given the catholic faith and piety of the 16th century, this was the most important part of the agreement for the founder: securing continuous prayer for the salvation of his own soul after his death as well as those of his defunct family members. The settlement is still administered by a committee which consists of members of the Fugger family's three remaining lines.

The Fuggerei is like a little town of its own, with walls and gates, its own church and administration.

The seven lanes of the settlement with their uniform yellow houses, most of them covered with vines, the little gardens along the back side, fountains, a small park form an ensemble with cosy flair.

A catholic ambience: statue of St Joseph holding baby Jesus at the corner of a house in Herrengasse

Herrengasse with the fountain

The little park covers the World War II bomb shelter (underneath the lawn on the left).