Video: The world's first social housing project has existed for 500 years, and all these years people have been living freely in comfortable houses
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
The Fugger Quarter in Augsburg today attracts tourists as it looks more like a dollhouse or open-air museum than a regular residential area. And all because it was originally built on the initiative of the Fugger family, patrons of the arts who created one of the world's first social housing projects.
Fuggers in the 16th century were among the wealthiest families in Europe. Influential bankers and capitalists, owners of factories and (later) mines, they devoted a lot of time and effort to caring for the poor. For the generosity with which the Fuggers gifted the inhabitants of Augsburg, Jacob Fugger was nicknamed the Rich Man. Today he is considered one of the richest people of his time, whose fortune is estimated higher than that of John Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie.
The construction of the social quarter was started by Jacob Fugger in 1514. This residential complex was open to anyone who needed a roof over their heads. The only prerequisite was that only Catholics were allowed to live. Each family received a house for use, a symbolic payment was made for it - only 1 guilder. Fugger set a rule: rent should never rise. And over the next 500 years, everything really remained the same. As gratitude for the help provided, the residents of the quarter had to pray for the Fuggers three times a day.
The construction of the quarter was completed in 1523. Over the next 200 years, it was expanded several times, the last reconstruction took place in 1973. Unfortunately, during the Second World War, the quarter was badly damaged by bombing and was practically rebuilt.
The residential complex is fenced with a wall with several gates, the entrance to the territory is closed at night, at this time only those who live here can be in the Fugger quarter. The houses are built in such a way that every family has everything they need for life: a kitchen, a bathroom, a small living room and a bedroom, an attic on the roof, and a small garden behind the house.
Interestingly, the door handles on each of the houses have different shapes. This was invented so that residents could find their home in the dark, without confusing it with the next one. They appeared, naturally, at a time when there were no street lamps yet.
One of the most famous residents of the Fugger quarter was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's great-grandfather, Franz Mozart. He lived here from 1681 to 1694. His house has now been turned into a museum with a memorial plaque. Currently, there are about 150 people living in the quarter, and their rent has remained unchanged so far. The quarter is fully supported by the Fugger Foundation.
Free houses in Italy is another social initiative that looks more like fiction, but is actually quite real.
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