Fuggerei by aliante1981
The two banking families, the Welsers and the Fuggers, along with the success in some industries brought Augsburg much of its fame, prosperity, and clout during 15th-16th centuries. Today, you will find hardly any mention of the family of the Welsers. But the founders of the powerful Fugger family - the other side of this equation - have established themselves permanently by what is now traditional, but then was not - a charitable institution. They established the Fuggerei in 1519 (Jakob Fugger was the person who created it) house poorer citizens of Augsburg. It's Europe's oldest welfare housing. Strangely enough, it still works. The basic features, laid down in 1521, are still in force today. The nominal rent of 1? per annum (formerly one Rheinish guilder) has not changed in more than 450 years (the city council determines who gets the break--it's based on need). The only obligation is that tenants pray daily for the souls of their founders. I bet there would be many people whishing to live in a 16th century house for 1 Euro a year and a daily prayer! The Fuggerei is a miniature, self-contained town with its own gates, which are shut from 10pm to 5am and guarded by a night watchman. Franz Mozart, the great-grandfather of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, once lived here.
