The Fuggerei is acknowledged as the world's most ancient social housing complex still inhabited today. Established in 1521 by Jakob Fugger the Rich, it was designed to provide Augsburg's less fortunate Catholic citizens with a secure dwelling for a symbolic annual rent of just €0.88—an amount that remains unchanged even after more than five centuries.
Within its safeguarded boundaries, this settlement evolved into a self-sufficient miniature town complete with its own roads, squares, and even a church. Over time, it has expanded to include 67 houses comprising 142 humble flats, each boasting a private entrance that imparts to residents the sensation of residing in their very own petite abode.
Among its notable characteristics are the elaborate doorbells, each uniquely fashioned so occupants could distinguish their doors by touch in the era before street lighting was introduced.
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