The best city hikes and walks around Kuhsee

Air pollution monitoring station on Blücherstraße This is a stationary measuring station. The graffiti is fitting 👍

The Hercules Fountain was modeled by Adriaen de Vries between 1597 and 1600, then cast by Wolfgang Neidhardt in Augsburg, and erected in 1602 on the Weinmarkt in front of the Siegelhaus and the Fugger Houses. Until 1809, a complex of buildings stood south of the fountain in the middle of today's Maximilianstraße, extending to Ulrichsplatz and aligning with the facade of the Siegelhaus toward the Hercules Fountain.

Hercules Fountain, Augsburg The Hercules Fountain was completed in 1602. The casts were made by Adriaen de Vries. Along with the Mercury Fountain, it is one of the greatest works the artist ever created. The hero Hercules slays the Hydra, a multi-headed water serpent. Naiads, Tritons, and goose-shrikes frolic on the fountain's pillar. Text / Source: City of Augsburg, World Heritage Information Center, Rathausplatz 1, Augsburg https://wassersystem-augsburg.de/de/objekte/herkulesbrunnen

Town Hall Square and Fish Market, Augsburg The group of squares near the slope of the Augsburg High Terrace is one of the oldest in Augsburg. It was formed after the construction of the Perlach Tower in the 10th century, which still stands in the line of sight of Augsburg's central north-south street. At this point, the north-south and east-west streets converged. The Free Imperial City, which was politically independent until 1806, was administered from Perlach Square, with its town hall (since 1260), gentlemen's drinking room, and merchants' room. The city council's exercise of power was publicly and spectacularly visible through the pillory at the town hall, where criminals were put on display; the "Schandesel" at the fish market, where soldiers of the city guard were placed for misconduct; and the "Narrenhäusel," a sobering-up cell. The installation of the Neptune Fountain on the Fish Market and the Augustus Fountain on Perlachplatz heralded a prestigious transformation: Elias Holl rebuilt almost all of the surrounding buildings, and between 1615 and 1620, he also built the Town Hall, whose mass seemed to overwhelm its surroundings. It wasn't until the 19th century that major new construction was undertaken again: The Stock Exchange Building, erected in 1828 by Johann Nepomuk Pertsch, replaced the living quarters of the merchants and patricians. At the same time, the new building line somewhat freed up the Town Hall. The Fish Market also received a new look between 1882 and 1890 with the administration building and the Fish Market Staircase by Ludwig Leybold. Text / Source: City of Augsburg, World Heritage Information Center, Rathausplatz 1, Augsburg https://www.augsburger-plaetze.com/rathausplatz-text

Augustusbrunnen, Augsburg The three monumental fountains with bronze figures are the artistic highlight of the water system. The first was created by Hubert Gerhard by 1594. In the middle stands the city founder Augustus as the emperor of peace, the four river gods symbolize Augsburg's main bodies of water: Lech, Wertach and Singold as well as the Brunnenbach, which was artificially created for drinking water. Text / Source: City of Augsburg, World Heritage Information Center, Rathausplatz 1, Augsburg https://wassersystem-augsburg.de/de/objekte/augustusbrunnen

Great Christmas market at the town hall square.

The Augustus Fountain in Augsburg is an impressive Renaissance work of art and one of the city's three magnificent fountains. It is located on the Rathausplatz (City Hall Square) directly in front of the Augsburg City Hall and is dedicated to Emperor Augustus, the legendary founder of the city (Augusta Vindelicum). The fountain was created between 1588 and 1594 by the Dutch sculptor Hubert Gerhard and is an important example of Renaissance art in southern Germany. In the center of the fountain stands the bronze statue of Emperor Augustus, who is depicted in Roman armor and symbolically represents the founding and protection of the city of Augsburg. The figure rises on a stone pedestal and is surrounded by four allegorical female figures representing the rivers Lech, Wertach, Singold and Brunnenbach. These rivers were vital for the development of Augsburg and played a central role in the city's water supply and industrial history. The Augustus Fountain thus symbolizes the connection between history and water management, which continues to shape Augsburg to this day and was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2019 as the "Augsburg Water Management System." The fountain is a popular photo motif and a central meeting point in the heart of the city, where the history of Augsburg remains alive.

In the 1960s and 70s, a pedestrian zone was established in Augsburg's city center. It fundamentally changed the face of the once busy Annastraße and the adjacent cross streets. After more than 30 years of intensive use, the structural condition of the shopping mile required a comprehensive renovation. The city of Augsburg therefore announced a planning competition and implemented the winning design. (Source: Augsburg.de)