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Kitzinger seniors discover the 500-year-old Fuggerei in Augsburg
Kitzingen: CSU seniors visit the Fuggerei, a 500-year-old social housing estate with a symbolic rent of 88 cents.
Kitzinger seniors discover the 500-year-old Fuggerei in Augsburg
The Kitzinger Senior Citizens' Union of the CSU recently went on an exciting trip to the Fuggerei. This over 500-year-old social project, which was launched in 1521 by Jakob Fugger the Rich, has lost none of its charm to this day. The Fuggerei, a social housing estate in Augsburg, houses 67 terraced houses and 142 apartments, all of which are around 60 square meters in size. Around 150 needy Augsburg residents are currently finding a home here Mainpost reported.
Unique living conditions
What makes the Fuggerei so special is not only the impressive history, but also the conditions under which the apartments are offered. The annual rent is just 88 cents. However, this rent is exchanged for the obligation to say three prayers daily for the donor family. This regulation has hardly changed since the beginnings of the Fuggerei, where many craftsmen and day laborers also lived. In the 17th century, there was even a school in the settlement that taught children the Catholic faith, they said Fuggery.
Due to the strict admission criteria, only Catholic people who are in need through no fault of their own are accepted. Parentage, age or marital status do not play any role. Only the prayer requirement and small services for the community, such as night watchman, sexton or gardener, are part of life in the Fuggerei. Anyone who wants to enter the settlement after 10 p.m. has to pay 50 cents to the night watchman, and after midnight even one euro.
Insight into the hydroelectric power station
In addition to the Fuggerei, the group also had the opportunity to visit the Lechwerke AG hydroelectric power plant in Langweid am Lech. This impressive building, built in the Wilhelmine style, has been supplying Augsburg with environmentally friendly electricity since 1907. Particularly noteworthy is the historic turbine chamber, which housed the first Francis twin turbines, which were replaced in 1993 with more efficient bevel gear tube turbines. The hydroelectric power plant has even been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2019, which underlines the importance of this facility.
The Fuggerei and the hydroelectric power station are not only examples of Bavarian tradition and innovation, but also of the way in which social responsibility has been lived throughout history. The visitors from Kitzingen certainly took home many impressions that go far beyond the historic walls.