Holidays to Augsburg

Augsburg, the third largest city in Bavaria, was founded by the Romans in 15 BC and is one of the oldest cities in Germany. Located around 60 km north-west of Munich and on the Romantic Road, it makes an excellent destination in its own right as well as a base for exploring more of Bavaria. In 2019, its historic water management system – comprising 22 elements – was granted UNESCO World Heritage status.

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It is a city brimming with cultural, historical and architectural treasures, not to mention the green surrounding countryside. Sights include the magnificent Renaissance Rathaus (Town Hall) with its famous Golden Hall, the Augsburg Puppet Theatre, the impressive Augustus Fountain, erected in honour of the Roman Emperor from whom the city derived its name, the Cathedral with its five Romanesque prophet windows – some of the world’s oldest surviving figurative stained-glass windows – and the Fuggerei social housing complex, “like a town within a town”.

There are reminders throughout Augsburg of the Romans who founded the city more than 2,000 years ago. Later periods also left a remarkable architectural legacy. The Renaissance flourished here in particular, while the Baroque and Rococo eras added another distinctive layer to the city.

Linked to the splendid history of Augsburg are names such as Jakob Fugger the Rich, one of Europe’s most influential merchants and bankers; Leopold Mozart, composer and father of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who was born in Augsburg in 1719; and the famous twentieth-century writer and playwright Bertolt Brecht, who was also born in the city.

Augsburg owes much of its historic appearance to the prosperity it enjoyed as an important European centre of trade and finance during the Renaissance. Yet it remains a lively and attractive city today, with an almost Italian flair in parts of the historic centre.

Discover for yourself the nooks and crannies of the old town – its city walls, narrow streets and waterways – and during Christmas Market time the city takes on a particularly atmospheric character. Augsburg’s Christkindlesmarkt is one of Germany’s oldest Christmas markets, with a tradition dating back to the 15th century, and its setting around Rathausplatz and the Renaissance Town Hall makes it one of the city’s seasonal highlights.