-
Altes Stadtbad
Even if you don't plan to get wet, it's worth a peek inside the Altes Stadtbad , a stunning Art Nouveau covered swimming pool with ornamental tiles and stained-glass windows. Check with the tourist office as opening hours vary; it's generally closed during summer.
-
Augsburger Puppenkiste
Modern and classic fairy tales - Aladdin to Rumpelstiltsken to The Little Prince - play at the Augsburger Puppenkiste . The stars on strings are so endearing and the sets so elaborate that even non-German speakers (and non-kids) will enjoy a show. It's often sold out; make advance reservations or check with the tourist office for remaining tickets.
-
Augustusbrunnen
The Rathausplatz (town hall square) is anchored by the Augustusbrunnen, a fountain honouring the Roman emperor; its four figures represent the Lech River and the Wertach, Singold and Brunnenbach Brooks.
-
Basilika of St Ulrich & Afra
Another onion-domed tower, belonging to the late-Gothic Basilika of St Ulrich and Afra, crowns the southern end of Maximilianstrasse.
-
Bertolt-Brecht-Gedenkstätte
The Bertolt-Brecht-Gedenkstätte is a converted former tile factory where playwright and poet Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956) lived for the first two years of his life before moving across town. Among the displays are old theatre posters, and a great series of life-size chronological photos, as well as the bedroom of his mother (about whom he said 'I loved her in my way but she wanted to be loved in her own'). Information panels are in German, but you can buy a detailed English guide to its permanent exhibits.
-
Deutsche Barockgalerie
The Deutsche Barockgalerie offers an exhaustive survey of German 17th- and 18th-century artists, very few of whom are household names.
-
Die Kiste
Kids will adore Die Kiste , a museum adjacent to the Augsburger Puppenkiste, which takes you on a journey through the marionettes' 50-plus-year career on stage, TV and film, and also has a painting corner and little movie 'cabins'.
-
Dom Mariä Heimsuchung
Augsburg's cathedral, the Dom Mariä Heimsuchung , has its origins in the 10th century but was 'Gothicised' and enlarged in the 14th and 15th centuries. The star treasures here are the so-called 'Prophets' Windows'. Depicting David, Daniel, Jonah, Hosea and Moses, they are among the oldest figurative stained-glass windows in Germany, dating from the 12th century. Look out for four paintings by Hans Holbein the Elder, including one of Jesus' circumcision.
-
Fronhof
The building west of the Dom Mariä Heimsuchung is the Fronhof , the former bishop's palace. In the predecessor of the current 1743 building, the Confessio Augustana was proclaimed in 1530. It's a superb setting for its annual classical concert series in July.
-
Fugger Stadtpalast
In between the two fountains on the Maximilianstrasse, at No 36-38, is the restored Fugger Stadtpalast (1515), the palatial town house and 'corporate' headquarters of Jakob Fugger. It embraces the Damenhof (Ladies' Court), a gorgeous inner courtyard arcaded in Italian Renaissance style. Outside is the spot where Luther famously stood his ground in 1518.
-
Advertisement
-
Fuggerei
The legacy of Jakob Fugger 'The Rich' lives on at Augsburg's Catholic welfare settlement, the Fuggerei , which is the oldest of its kind in existence. Around 200 people live here today and their rent remains frozen at 1 Rhenish guilder (now around €1 .88) per year, plus utilities and three daily prayers. Bemused residents wave to you as you wander through the car-free lanes of this gated community flanked by its 52 pin-neat houses (containing 140 apartments) and little gardens.
-
GlasPalast
The GlasPalast is an industrial monument made of iron, concrete and glass that houses two new art galleries. The Centre of Contemporary Art is cutting-edge while the State Gallery of Modern Art shows post-50s American highlights of the genre. Its public art library is open during visiting hours. Also look out for guided tours, concerts and films.
-
Jüdisches Kulturmuseum
Augsburg's beautiful Art Nouveau synagogue (1914-17) was devastated in 1938, but reopened in 1985 and now contains the Jüdisches Kulturmuseum . The permanent exhibit documents Jewish life in the region and explains traditions, rituals and customs from the 17th to the 19th centuries.
-
Lechviertel district
Rushing canals stemming from the Lech River traverse the mostly pedestrianised Lechviertel district (sometimes referred to as Jakobviertel). Playwright and poet Bertolt Brecht was born here, and his house has been turned into a memorial museum.
-
Maximilianmuseum
One block west of Rathhausplatz is the spectacularly renovated Maximilianmuseum , occupying two patrician town houses joined by a statue-studded courtyard covered by a glass-and-steel roof. Highlights include a fabulous collection of Elias Holl's original wooden models for his architectural creations, and a collection of gold and silver coins that can be viewed through sliding magnifying glass panels.
-
Maximilianstrasse
Rathausplatz marks the northern end of Maximilianstrasse, a grand boulevard named for Kaiser Maximilian (1459-1519), which is lined by patrician mansions and graced with two impressive fountains. The Merkurbrunnen (1599), at the intersection with Bürgermeister-Fischer-Strasse, is by Dutch artist Adriaen de Vries and features the god Mercury as a symbol of trade. Further south, near Hallstrasse, is the Herkulesbrunnen (1602), also by de Vries, which shows Hercules fighting the seven-headed Hydra, representing Augsburg's commercial importance.
-
Mozarthaus
Allow an hour to take in an audio-guided tour (in English) of the Mozarthaus , the house where Leopold Mozart - Wolfgang Amadeus' father, who was also his music teacher and creator of the acclaimed 'violin technique' - was born in 1719.
-
Naturmuseum
The Naturmuseum, in central Augsburg, has animal skeletons and exhibits on apes and butterflies; great for kids!
-
Perlachturm
For panoramic views over Rathausplatz and the city, climb to the top of the Perlachturm , a former guard tower, and also an Elias Holl creation.
-
Planetarium
Budding astronomers can star-gaze at the Planetarium, adjacent to the Naturmuseum.
-
Advertisement
-
Rathaus
Rising above the Rathausplatz are the twin onion-domed spires of the Renaissance Rathaus , built by Elias Holl from 1615 to 1620 and crowned by a 4m-tall pinecone, the city's emblem (also an ancient fertility symbol). Upstairs is the Goldener Saal (Golden Hall), a huge banquet hall with an amazing gilded and frescoed coffered ceiling.
-
Rathausplatz
The heart of Augsburg's Altstadt is the Rathausplatz , a large, pedestrianised square.
-
Römisches Museum
Military weapons, sarcophagi, gold coins and tombstones are among the relics of Roman Augsburg at the Römisches Museum , housed inside a former 16th-century monastery church.
-
Schaezlerpalais
In 1765 local banker Liebert von Liebenhofen commissioned an ebullient rococo palace, the Schaezlerpalais . Designed by Carl Albert von Lespilliez, today the palace houses two museums (covered by a single admission fee): the Deutsche Barockgalerie and the Staatsgalerie.
-
St-Anna-Kirche
Founded as a Carmelite monastery in 1321, St-Anna-Kirche hosted Martin Luther during his stay in 1518. His rooms have been turned into the Lutherstiege, a small museum about the Reformation. There's a portrait of Luther by Lucas Cranach the Elder in the eastern choir, while at the opposite end is the Fuggerkapelle, the chapel where Jakob Fugger and his brothers are buried. Also pop into the lavishly frescoed Goldschmiedekapelle (Goldsmiths' Chapel; 1420).
