Fuggerei

Jakob Fugger, a merchant and banker of enormous wealth, founded this walled settlement in 1521 for Augsburg citizens in need, setting the annual rent at one Rhenish guilder. The figure was never raised: converted, it is now 0.88 euro a year, and residents additionally undertake to say three prayers daily for the founder and his family. Around one hundred and fifty people live in sixty-seven houses along eight lanes behind gates that still close at ten at night. It is generally described as the oldest social housing complex in the world still in use. Mozart's great-grandfather lived here; a bunker museum covers the 1944 bombing.

History

The Fuggerei takes its name from the Fugger family and was founded in 1516 by Jakob Fugger the Younger, known as Jakob Fugger the Rich, as housing for needy citizens of Augsburg; the family were bankers to the Habsburgs, and in 1519 he financed the election of Charles V as Holy Roman Emperor. It was first built between 1514 and 1523 under the architect Thomas Krebs, with 52 houses by 1523, and in 1582 Hans Holl added the church of St Mark; enlarged in 1880 and 1938, it now has 67 houses with 147 apartments, a well and an administration building (Wikipedia, Fuggerei).

What to look for

• The 0.88 euro rent - a fee unchanged in substance since 1521.
• The walled lanes - eight streets of houses behind gates that still close at night.
• The show flat - a furnished house open as a museum.
• The founder's terms - three daily prayers required of residents.

When to go

Year-round; the gates close at ten at night as they always have. Residents live here, so quiet is asked and only designated houses are open.

Good to know

This is inhabited housing, not a museum village; most doors are private homes. The site is small, about an hour. Photography of residents is not welcome.

Nearby

Augsburg's old town lies west; the water system runs through the city.

Key facts