Medieval Augsburg: The Fame and Fortune of Jakob Fugger

(23 reviews)

Augsburg audio tour: Medieval Augsburg: The Fame and Fortune of Jakob Fugger

This is a 1.2mi walking tour

It takes an average of 120 mins to complete.

Augsburg

Germany

$4.99

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About the Tour

Augsburg in the late Middle Ages was one of Germany's most important trading towns, where church and superstition prevailed but commercial innovation flourished. On this walking tour, you'll follow in the footsteps of Jakob Fugger, one of history's wealthiest and most influential businessmen. Walking through Augsburg's historic streets, you'll discover how a family of humble weavers rose to become financial titans with the power to determine who would be crowned Emperor.

The tour begins at Königsplatz, once an entrance gate to medieval Augsburg. You'll weave through narrow alleys and open squares that once housed bustling markets for fish, iron, hay, and cattle. Along the way, you'll visit St. Anna's Church with its magnificent Fugger Chapel, explore the impressive Fugger City Palace where emperors stayed, and discover the Golden Scriptorium where Jakob managed his vast financial empire with revolutionary bookkeeping methods from Italy.

You'll learn how the Fuggers built their fortune through copper mining, banking, and close relationships with the Habsburg dynasty. Your guide will explain Jakob's shrewd business acumen, from financing the Vatican's Swiss Guard to supporting the election of Emperor Karl V. The tour ends at Rathausplatz (Town Hall Square), where you'll hear about Augsburg's advanced water management system and the exclusive tavern where only the city's elite could make business deals.

On this two-hour tour, you'll have a chance to:

Visit the Fugger Chapel, commissioned by Jakob to demonstrate his wealth after a near-bankruptcy
See the former site of Jakob's birthplace, where his grandfather Hans first established the family in Augsburg
Explore the impressive Fugger Houses (Fuggerhäuser), the Renaissance-style palace that served as the family's headquarters
Discover how the family's trading sign, a trident, became a symbol of trust in medieval commerce
Stop at Mercury's Fountain, located on the important Via Claudia Augusta trading route that linked Augsburg to Italy
Learn how the Fuggers' partnership with János Thurzó revolutionized copper mining in the Holy Roman Empire
Understand how Italian double-entry bookkeeping helped the Fuggers manage their complex financial empire
Hear about the remarkable women of the Fugger family who doubled the family fortune after their husbands' deaths

Step back into the world of medieval commerce where fortunes were made and lost, where ambitious merchants could rise from humble origins to finance kings and popes, and where a single family's influence could shape the course of European history.

Tour Producer

Kian Torabli

4 tours

I have traveled many parts of the world by bike and on foot.

Since an accident, I am now limited to nearby city trips. In this course I discovered VoiceMap, and their very personal tours help me to discover new cities. Even in cities I already know, I discover new, exciting details and stories thanks to VoiceMap.

Without any experience as a tour guide, I simply started to create my own tour on VoiceMap and add to their collection.
This is a completely new experience for me. The research takes a lot of time, but it's also a lot of fun to discover new things in “my” city and hopefully pass them on in an entertaining way.

Preview Location

Location 18

Maids' Yard and Ladies' Yard

The small yard you are entering now is known as the Maids' Yard. Obviously, this yard was for recreation, not for business.

You may need to walk back a few steps to where you entered the yard. Facing towards the yard again, you can see some iron bars to your left, blocking ... The small yard you are entering now is known as the Maids' Yard. Obviously, this yard was for recreation, not for business.

You may need to walk back a few steps to where you entered the yard. Facing towards the yard again, you can see some iron bars to your left, blocking your access to yet another yard. Stand right at the iron bars and enjoy this special yard.

This is the Ladies' Yard. No maids, let alone men, were allowed here. I had this yard built after renaissance examples that I had seen in Italy. Actually, the whole palace is laid out in the same way as the Italian palaces I visited.

Oh yes, that reminds me, I have not yet told you about my time in Italy, so forgive an old man spinning his yarn while you take in the beauty of the Ladies’ Yard.

Well, as the by far youngest son of the family, I could not expect to inherit much, taking on an important position in the company was unlikely, impossible even. So, I was given a sinecure in a monastery and sent there at the age of 12. The sinecure was meant to be my living allowance, and sending me to the monastery would be my education, while my older brothers set up factories in Nuremberg and Venice. I am using the word "factory" in the old sense, meaning a larger trading outpost.

Much to my delight, only two years later I was sent to Venice, which is where my real education started. I worked under my brother Georg in our factory there, learning all about trade, the Italian language, customs and art, and last but not least a lot about the Italian way of accounting, banking and their legal system. Especially in matters of finance, Italy was way ahead of the countries north of the Alps. It was the time when the famous Medici family opened their banks in several cities, Venice being one of them.

The learning enabled me to create legally sound charitable trusts, such as the Fugger Chapel, which I already told you about.

So, to come back to my palace, this is where I made many of the impressions, which I had brought back from Italy, a reality.

When you are finished looking around, leave the palace through the front door. Just continue on our original path and walk straight. Once you are outside, carefully cross the street. Read More

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Major Landmarks

Manzù-Brunnen
St. Anne's Church
Damenhof Augsburg
Fuggerhaus
Merkur Brunnen
Maximilianstraße
Augsburg Town Hall
Rathausplatz
Augustusbrunnen
Perlach Tower

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Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
86150 Augsburg, Germany
Total distance

2km
Final location
Hermanstraße 3, 86150 Augsburg, Germany
Distance back to start location

80.13m

Directions to Starting Point

Tram stop "Königsplatz" in Augsburg, go to bay B.

Getting there is easy by public transport. Use tram lines 1, 2, 3, 4, or 6.
All of these lines, except line 2, connect to the train station as well. Walking from the train station is approx. 800m, a 10 minute walk.

The closest car parks are "Parkgarage Annahof" and "Parhaus Schaetzlerstraße", both of which are only 250m from our starting point.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

We will pass plenty of cafés and takeaways on the way, so there is ample opportunity to rest and have a snack.
We will also be passing Lutherstiege, a very good museum about Luther, which is located in the church of St. Anna.

Best time of day

Start Tuesday through Saturday between 10am and 3pm, or Mondays between 12 noon and 3pm, so St Anna church and the yards of the City Palace are open. I recommend starting after 11am to avoid delivery vans in pedestrian zones.

Start no later than two hour before dusk.

Do not do this walk on Sundays or bank holidays, as both St. Anna and the yards of the City Palace will be closed to the public.

Precautions

You will be mostly outdoors, please bring appropriate clothing.

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