23 August 1521 is considered the birthday of the Fuggerei. On this day, Jakob Fugger signed the deed of foundation for the settlement. According to his stipulations in the deed, the Fuggerei was to exist "in perpetuity". The theme of this great anniversary is therefore above all looking forward: it is about the future and the relevance of the Fuggerei for a world that seeks individual answers to social challenges. It is not for nothing that the idea of the Fuggerei and its continuous, social contribution over centuries has fascinated people all over the globe. For you and together with you, the Fugger Foundations want to celebrate this anniversary year.
500 years of Fuggerei
Let's celebrate an anniversary with a future together!
External content – Video
You will find content from a third party here, which you can watch by clicking on it.
Personal data may be transmitted to the third-party provider when the video is loaded. You can find more information in our data protection regulations.
On 23 August 2021, the annual programme started with a festive week at the Fuggerei. All activities were under the motto "Fuggerei NEXT500". Sending the core ideas of the Fuggerei out into the world as an impulse, as a recipe for success that can be implemented worldwide with "Fuggereis of the future" became the major theme of the anniversary year. The Fuggerei shows that it is far more than the oldest social settlement in the world - it offers an answer to seven social challenges and a concept that can have an impact everywhere. Over a period of eight months, representatives of various foundations discussed how this could look in the future. In addition, the Fugger Foundations honour the value of good words with a sermon cycle. The insights generated from this were presented in an exhibition in the Fuggerei NEXT500 Pavilion at the end of the anniversary year. From 6 May to 12 June 2022, 30,000 people visited the pavilion and were guests at numerous events.