With over 2000 years of history, Augsburg is one of the oldest cities in Germany. From the middle of the 12th century, Augsburg was a free imperial city that developed into an outstanding economic center. The Fugger and Welser families used their money to influence both the election of the emperor and the Pope's sale of indulgences. Thanks to Martin Luther, Augsburg ultimately became one of the pivotal points in the history of the Reformation. Luther came to Augsburg in October 1518, where he stayed in the Carmelite monastery of St. Anne. The talks with Cardinal Cajetan at Jakob Fugger's house remained without result and thus without the desired revocation of his 95 indulgence theses.
The Confessio Augustana, the Augsburg Confession, is still valid today as a Protestant confessional document. Martin Luther once again played an important role in the handover of the confession on June 25, 1530. He followed the event from Coburg and exchanged views in writing with the theologians gathered in Augsburg, in particular Philip Melanchthon, on the articles and principles formulated therein.
The Religious Peace of Augsburg of 1555 was intended to put the followers of the Confessio Augustana on an equal footing with the followers of the Roman Catholic Church - in other words, to enable different denominations to live together peacefully. This was the first important attempt to find a legal solution to the religious conflicts between Catholics and Protestants. One of the longest periods of peace in the empire (from 1555 to 1618) can be attributed to the Peace of Augsburg. However, it could not prevent the 30 Years' War. On August 8, 1629, all Protestant preachers in Augsburg were dismissed and the churches were closed or demolished. It was not until the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, which ended the religious wars, that the Protestant community regained its churches. The city constitution sealed parity - i.e. the equal treatment of denominations in all public offices - albeit limited to the Protestant and Catholic faiths.
The Augsburg High Peace Festival is a unique public holiday that is celebrated on August 8 and has a very special place in the city's history. Augsburg's Protestants celebrated the end of their oppression for the first time on August 8, 1650 with prayers of thanksgiving and peace. The High Peace Festival has been celebrated every year since then. The commitment to the “Peace City Augsburg” and the mission to carry peaceful coexistence into the present are based on this historic event. In 1950, the Bavarian state parliament declared August 8 a public holiday limited to the city limits of Augsburg.
Today, people of different religions, origins and world views live together peacefully in Augsburg. This diversity is at the heart of the festivities surrounding the Augsburg High Peace Festival, which is traditionally celebrated in an interreligious and intercultural way. On August 8, hundreds of citizens and guests come together at the Augsburg Peace Table on Rathausplatz for a peaceful and convivial dialog, sharing the food and drink they have brought with them, time and interest in their counterparts.
Augsburg City Hall, designed by Elias Holl, plays a very special role as a place of peace. The Augsburg Peace Price is awarded here every three years. Twice a year, the Round Table of Religions, chaired by the Lord Mayor, meets in the town hall. The Augsburg Peace Talks and the annual conference on the Augsburg Peace of Religion also take place here regularly.
With its town hall, the charming old town, the Fugger houses and the city library, Augsburg is part of the “European Heritage Label, Sites of the Reformation in Germany” (PDF link).
