Above the portal of Augsburg’s Zeughaus, Saint Michael subdues Satan, a fitting scene for an arsenal. Elias Holl designed the façade and finished it in 1607. It was his first major work, and the only large Holl building to emerge from the war and later alterations unscathed.

Part of it began in 1505 as a granary, until the city decided in 1558 that weapons were more useful than grain. Holl’s wing added a roof frame so elaborate that it survives intact and can be visited by appointment. The building was the city’s main fire station from 1895 to 1975, and in 1965 the council voted to lease it to a department store. It now hosts a cultural centre.

VoiceMap’s Venice of Augsburg audio tour follows Holl’s trail nearby, from the town hall to the Stadtmetzg, where he ran a canal through the cellar to cool the meat.