Augsburg, now in Germany, was founded in 15 BCE by the 1st Roman Emperor Augustus (r 27 BCE to 14 CE, pictured on the stamp). The settlement’s original name was Augusta Vindelicorum (The Augustan city of the Vindelici). The town’s 2000th anniversary earned it this stamp in 1985.
Only two other cities in Germany are older. Neuss was founded in 16 BCE also by the Romans, and it got a stamp the year before (1984) this one was issued. Trier was conquered by the Romans about that same time, but was founded by the Celts some 300 years earlier. The city did, though, get a 2000th anniversary stamp along with Neuss in 1984.
Augsburg is home to the world’s oldest social housing. The Fuggerei was founded in 1516 in order to house the poor. There is a rent, set in 1516 and remaining the same in 2018. That rent is one Guilder per year, about 0.88 Euros, and three daily prayers for the owners. Each apartment within the complex has a street entrance, kitchen, and other facilities. The area is walled, and the gates are closed at night. There are streets and a church within the grounds.
The complex is supported by a charitable trust set up in 1520 by Jakob Fugger, the founder and namesake of the Fuggerei.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s grandfather, Franz Mozart, lived there 1681 and 1694.
There is a small public museum in an empty apartment set aside for that purpose.
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