Fuggerei

Fuggerei Review

This neat little settlement is the world's oldest social housing project. It was established by the Fugger family in 1516 to accommodate the city's deserving poor. The 67 homes with 140 apartments still serve the same purpose and house about 150 people today, financed almost exclusively from the assets of the foundation as the annual rent of "one Rhenish guilder" (€1) hasn't changed, either. Residents must be Augsburg citizens, Catholic, and destitute through no fault of their own—and they must pray daily for their original benefactors, the Fugger family. The most famous resident was Mozart's great-grandfather.