Augsburg

You can rent an apartment in Augsburg for 88 cents a year. That's not a typo.

The Fuggerei, founded in 1521, is the world's oldest social housing complex still in operation. About 150 people live there today, paying the same rent residents paid 500 years ago, plus three daily prayers for the founder's family.

The man behind this deal was Jakob Fugger "the Rich," arguably the wealthiest person in history. His banking family transformed Augsburg into Europe's financial capital during the 1500s, lending money to emperors and popes while everyone else was still figuring out double-entry bookkeeping.

But Augsburg's history stretches back much further. Romans founded the city in 15 BC as Augusta Vindelicorum, naming it after Emperor Augustus himself. That makes it one of Germany's oldest cities, predating Munich by over a thousand years.

The city shaped European history in ways most people never learn. In 1555, Catholics and Protestants signed the Peace of Augsburg here, ending decades of religious warfare and establishing that rulers could choose their territory's official faith.

The phrase "cuius regio, eius religio" (whose realm, his religion) became law in this city.

The Renaissance brought architectural ambition. City architect Elias Holl built the Town Hall between 1615 and 1620, creating the most significant secular Renaissance building north of the Alps.

The Golden Hall inside features an ornate gilded ceiling that survived World War II only because the city dismantled and hid it before the bombs fell.

Augsburg's elaborate canal and water management system, engineered over centuries, earned UNESCO World Heritage status in 2019. The city built fountains, waterworks, and hydropower systems that were cutting-edge technology in their time.

Walk through the Fuggerei's ochre-colored streets and visit the museum inside a restored apartment. A World War II bunker in the complex shows what residents endured during Allied bombing raids.

Tour the Town Hall's Golden Hall to see that rescued ceiling in all its gilded glory. Catch a show at the Augsburger Puppenkiste, Germany's famous marionette theater that has delighted families since 1948.

Try Augsburg's local dishes: Zwetschgendatschi (plum cake) in late summer and Spätzle (egg noodles) with cheese or roasted onions year-round. Wash it down with beer from one of Bavaria's oldest brewing traditions at a traditional Biergarten.