The World’s Oldest Housing Complex

Homes are the most basic unit of society. Homes in a housing society came to be built only during the last two centuries. But perhaps few know that the first social housing project came up in Augsburg, in the Bavarian province of Germany. It is known as Fuggerei which came up in 1521.

The residents celebrated its fifth centenary last year. The complex’s atmosphere partly reflects its design. Each of the dwellings — which were rebuilt and equipped with electricity and modern toilets after being damaged in the World War II— has an individual entrance, each with a differently shaped doorbell. But the site features common areas including a baroque chapel, a beer garden and a mess, where weekly breakfasts and regular entertainment are served up, free of charge.

The oldest inhabitant is 93 and the youngest seven months. All can stay as long as they wish. Few depart before they need round-the-clock care. The resilience of the Fuggerei — which over five centuries has provided board and lodging for thousands of people, including an ancestor of Mozart — continues to draw international curiosity.

Past visitors have included Mikhail Gorbachev and the King of Jordan, alongside throngs of town planners and civil servants. On a sunny Saturday afternoon last May, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen came from Brussels to see the project and address dignitaries gathered in Augsburg’s Venetian-style Golden Hall for a celebration of the Fuggerei’s half-millennium.

The colony takes its name from the Fugger family and was begun to be built in 1516 by ‘Jakob Fugger the Younger’ family. It was meant to be a place to lodge needy citizens of Augsburg. By 1523, 52 houses had been built. Subsequently, it expanded with streets, small squares and a church being added.

Today the colony has 67 terraced houses covered in ochre-coloured stucco and ivy, in a walled site near the city’s medieval heart. The gates were locked at night. It is still inhabited today, affording it the status of being the oldest public housing project continuously in use over five centuries. Jakob family nearly monopolized global copper trade in the 16th century and dedicated a good portion of wealth to build the Fuggerei. For the residents, obligations come along with privileges.

Those wishing to reside here should prove that they are genuinely needy people and should be Roman Catholic. They must commit to pray three times in a day, though it is not enforceable. Curfew is imposed at 10 pm. It was originally intended to ensure that drunk people do not roam the streets.

Those who stay out beyond 10 pm have to pay one cent for readmission, depending on the extent of delay. Each resident pays a monthly rent of 88 Euro cents. Current rates in Augsburg are 12 Euro cents for each square metre. Alexander Erbgraf Fugger-Barbenhausen, a 16th generation descendant of the Jakob family, is currently one of three family members that oversee the charitable foundation that funds the complex.

Ilona Barber, 71, a resident of the colony says, but for the Fuggerei accommodation, she would have been living under a bridge today. She waited three years before she was sanctioned an apartment. Founder Jakob had no heirs. His nephew subsequently created a legal structure for the organization to fund the maintenance of Fuggerei. Jakob had left 10,000 Gulden (a currency then) and left it in a bank account. These were to be used to create stipends for local causes.

The money has been invested in forestry. Each housing unit has an area of 500 to 700 sq. foot. No apartments are shared. Each family stays in one apartment which has a kitchen, a bedroom, a tiny spare room, a small garden and a garden shed.

All apartments are equipped with a Television. The doorbells have elaborate shapes, each being unique. They were installed much before streetlights came. Tourists can take a tour of the colony by paying a small entrance fee.