AUGSBURG Cradle of the German Renaissance | LAST REMAINING PLACE

5 days | £1995 per person with flights | 4 - 8 December2025

Cradle of the German Renaissance

It is not by surprise that the German Renaissance is dawning in Augsburg. Ever since the city had been founded at the instigation of Emperor Augustus in 15 BC its cultural and economic ties with Italy were uninterrupted. When this former capital of the Roman province of Raetia made its way into the Middle Ages, it’s the lucrative trade with Italy that allows Augsburg to skyrocket as a commercial centre. This meteoric rise is closely connected with the name of one family: the Fuggers. As merchant-bankers they not only financed kings and emperors like Maximilian I and Charles V but also displayed their wealth as art patrons. It is through them that Renaissance art is first introduced to Augsburg. On this new Art Pursuits Abroad study tour we are going to explore the riches of Augsburg’s Renaissance heritage.



Day to day Itinerary

Day 1

Take a flight from London to Munich. On arrival our coach transfers us to our hotel in the historic heart of Augsburg. An introductory walk will acquaint us with Augsburg’s Roman heritage, its medieval mercantile history and its landmark buildings, the massive town hall and cathedral.



Day 2

We start the day with a lecture in the hotel on the leading Augsburg family, the Fuggers. Their ascent from humble weavers to the leading merchant-bankers of Renaissance Germany is stunning. We will study their impact on the development of Renaissance art as well as their implications with the Reformation. Afterwards we visit the church of St Anna where we get special access to the sumptuously decorated Fugger burial chapel showcasing delicate sandstone reliefs and putti executed by Hans Daucher. We continue our explorations with a private visit to the richly stuccoed rooms of Hans Fugger’s former Chamber of Arts and Curiosities, replete with stucco busts of antique emperors and gods. The afternoon is dedicated to the basilica of St Ulrich and Afra, the city’s two patron saints. This late gothic building is a treasure house of art from the late Middle Ages to the late Renaissance. We will be granted special access to an exquisite treasury of reliquaries and liturgical textiles.



Day 3

We leave the hotel by coach to visit Kirchheim in Schwaben. Tucked away in the Swabian countryside we will visit one of the many Fugger castles in the vicinity. This one boasts to own the most beautiful Renaissance ceiling in all the country carved from exquisite Indian cedar wood. The nearby court church houses not only the marble tomb of Hans Fugger by Hubert Gerhard and Alexander Colin, but also a delightful Rubens painting. After return to Augsburg there will be a free afternoon for own explorations.



Day 4

In the morning we walk to the nearby Maximilian museum housed in a palatial town house of 1546. The notable collections comprise the original Bronze sculptures by Adriaen de Vries and Hubert Gerhard belonging to Augsburg’s magnificent public fountains. Displays of sumptuous art and stone sculpture complement our impressions on Renaissance art in Augsburg gained so far. The Schaezlerpalais picture gallery exhibits paintings by local painters of c. 1500 such as Hans Burgkmair but also a portrait of Jakob Fugger the Rich by Albrecht Dürer. In the late afternoon we stroll over the Christmas market to visit a choral concert in the opulently decorated Golden Hall of Augsburg’s Renaissance town hall.



Day 5

The coach takes us to Munich city centre for a visit to the Jesuit church St Michael where the Bavarian duke Wilhelm V had planned a gigantic bronze tomb for himself. Surviving in situ is an elegant crucifixion by Giambologna. The same Wilhelm strove to alter his Munich residence into a modern Renaissance palace. He must have felt relieved when the Fugger family passed on their troop of exquisite artists that had just excelled in their Augsburg work. We study their impact on the Munich residence – a grotto courtyard and the Antiquarium – as well as the halls displaying the impressive sculpture from this conversion measure. After an included lunch in an elegant Munich restaurant we continue to the airport for our return flight to London.

Hotel Maximillian's

Originally known as the Drei Mohren Hotel, Hotel Maximillian's offers hundreds of years of history as it dates backs to legends from 1495. This elegant hotel is conveniently located in the centre of Augsburg and offers two fine restaurants, a bar, a ballroom and an Asian inspired spa. Contemporary guest rooms are fully equipped and feature a flat screen television.

With Flights: £1995

Join Direct: £1845

Single Supp: £250

Deposit: £450

Departure Dates:

4 - 8 December 2025

Duration:

4 nights / 5 days

Your Holiday Includes:

• Return flights (Economy class) from London to Munich
• Four nights’ bed and breakfast at the Hotel Maximillian’s
• Private coach transfers and excursions
• Two evening meals and one lunch
• Guided visits to the sites and monuments listed in the programme
• Services of the tour lecturer and a tour manager
• Detailed programme and study notes
• All entrance fees, taxes, and gratuities for coach drivers and serving staff
  

Tour Lecturers

Dr Ulrike Ziegler

Specialising in mediaeval art and the cultural politics of post-war Germany at the universities of Regensburg and Aberdeen, Dr Ulrike Ziegler is a well-respected member of Art Pursuits and has lectured at universities and for multiple cultural institutions, along with organising and leading many study tours in both Germany and Austria. Ulrike is now working on Art Pursuits' German programme.



Travel Information

The price does not include extras at the hotels or travel insurance.



Please note that Art Pursuits use hotels of character featuring a variety of rooms & styles.

Stamina

Please note that some of our tours can involve a fair amount of walking, sometimes across uneven ground. Please contact us if you would like more information.