WATER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM OF AUGSBURG General plan and tours to UNESCO World Heritage Site 4 maps incl. GPS tracks WATER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM OF AUGSBURG – UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE SINCE 2019 Water makes 2000 years of water history history. Past. Present. Future. The Water Management System of Augsburg comprises a unit of 22 elements and 29 Lech canals represents an urban water landscape and water management that is over 800 years old. It is unparalleled in terms of its surviving 40 Hydropower successive technical diversity. Thus the plants outstanding universal value which constitutes the uniqueness of the Water Management 200 km System of Augsburg is described. It stands for of water courses the responsible way the Augsburg population deals with the precious commodity of water and the associated technical innovations. This includes above all the strict separation of drinking and process water at an early stage. 1 Olympic The reason was the awareness that pure spring canoe course water from the city forest is very important for our health. The Augsburg fountain masters developed pump systems which also supplied those parts of the city situated at slightly higher altitudes. These and other groundbreaking technical innovations were implemented 530 bridges in Augsburg and aroused great interest internationally. The 22 elements are a vivid testimony to the continuous and successful Water Management System of Augsburg which 22 drinking water fountains has existed since the Middle Ages. UNIQUE THROUGHOUT THE WORLD Waterworks 4 at Rotes Tor The ensemble of the three water towers is probably the oldest known The 22 elements of the Water waterworks in Central Europe. It has supplied the Management System of Augsburg city with drinking water since 1416. Throughout The system which combines nature, technology, economic Europe, its pumping systems were admired technical management and art is of great significance for the development installations and survived of the city. Its task was to: for more than four and a half • Supply the city with essential drinking water centuries until 1880. • Supply the city with process water for energy, hygiene and disposal • Strictly separate drinking and process water Today the continued existence of the Water System reminds us that it is important to use natural resources sustainably. Hochablass (Lech weir) 1 The Hochablass has been associated since time with the start of hydropower utilisation in Augsburg. The water for most of the canals in the city is diverted at this weir system. The current construction dates back to 1911/12. Lech canals Lower waterworks 2 The canals have been supplying 5 The Lower waterworks constructed energy for more than 1000 years. They around 1500 is the second largest and were mentioned for the first time in second oldest drinking waterworks. It 1276. They were indispensable for consists of the Lower water tower, the supplying water to the many handicraft Pump house and a water crossing in businesses, which powered their which today the inner city moat flows machines with water wheels, and later above the Stadtbach canal. for generating electricity. Galgenablass (culvert) Waterworks 3 The Galgenablass is 6 at Vogeltor the most important water The third waterworks was crossing in the city forest. constructed in 1538 at This culvert separates the city walls beside the spring water and water from Vogeltor. Its primary purpose the River Lech (= drinking was to supply the Lech and process water). This district with drinking water. Augsburg achievement is In 1774 a fortified tower was still on display here today. repurposed to create a water tower which made the works larger and more efficient. Augustus Fountain 7 The three monumental fountains with their bronze figures are the artistic highlight of the water system. Hubert Gerhard created the first one in 1594. The city’s founder Augustus stands in the middle as a peacemaking emperor and the four river gods symbolise the main water courses of Augsburg: Lech, Wertach and Singold as well as the Brunnenbach created artificially for drinking water. Mercury Fountain 8 The fountain was constructed Waterworks by Adriaen de Vries in 1599. The 11 at Hochablass bronze group on the pillar in the basin The new waterworks heralded the represents Mercury and at his feet age of modern water supply in 1879/80 Amor, who is removing the God of in Augsburg. Groundwater replaced Trade’s sandals. This symbolises the spring water and for the first time desire and the certainty that Mercury pressure tanks superseded the old would remain in Augsburg and keep water towers. This established new flourishing trade and therefore wealth hygienic and technical standards for in the city. supplying a city with drinking water. Hercules Fountain Power plant at the Stadtbach 9 Like the other two, the Hercules Fountain created 12 The first Augsburg power plants by Adriaen de Vries in 1602 symbolises Augsburg’s started up factory machines directly pride in its abundance of water. The hero Hercules in transmission mode. Since 1873, the fights against Hydra, a water monster with several power plant at Stadtbach had served heads. He stands for overcoming the dangers posed the cotton mill, at the time the largest by water, the three nymphs or graces symbolise the spinning mill in Germany. good and beautiful aspects of water. Stadtmetzg Power plant 10 The building was constructed 13 at the Fabrikkanal in 1609 by Elias Holl. The unique thing The power plant was put about it was its innovative use of canal into operation in 1885 by the water: The Western Lech (canal) was Göggingen doubling mill and fed through the Stadtmetzg to cool the thread factory. The Fabrikkanal meat and dispose of the waste. fed by the River Wertach was created specifically for this purpose. In 1907 new turbines were installed; the plant is still in operation today. Power plant at the Singold Power plant Langweid 14 The small power plant has been in 18 This second power plant at the Lech Canal continuous operation since 1887. It was initially was constructed in a similarly elaborate form as built for the transmission actuation of the the station in Gersthofen. It has been producing Göggingen doubling mill and thread factory, but electricity since 1907, initially for a factory and later however generated the electricity for the subsequently for general supply. Today you will factory, like the other two earlier stations. find the Lechmuseum Bayern here which presents the river in all its facets. Power plant at the Wolfzahnau Power plant 15 This power plant is an impressive structure which straddles a 19 at the Wertachkanal canal shortly before the confluence of the Lech and Wertach rivers. This power plant was built in 1920 on In 1901 it was the first station to be built to generate electricity for the what was then the new Wertachkanal. cotton mill, in other words, no longer to drive the factory machines Its purpose was to stem the risk of directly. Its huge flywheel had been showcased previously at the flooding but also to generate energy. The Paris World Exhibition. original purpose of the power plant with its two turbines which are still in use today was to generate electricity for the Augsburg tram system. Power plant at the Proviantbach 20 Like those at Stadtbach and Wolfzahnau, this power plant built in 1922 initially belonged to the cotton mill. A very first power plant was built in this location already in 1858. The turbines and the generator of 1922 can still be seen in the new building, which is constructed in the sober style of the industrial architecture of this time. Power plant Meitingen 21 This power plant is the third one at the Lech Canal and the furthest away from Augsburg. Power plant Gersthofen Initially it supplied industry and subsequently 16 The first of three hydropower generated power for the entire region. Only in plants at the newly created Lech Canal – this power plant is the entire original technical a palatial building in the Baroque style equipment of 1922 preserved and still in operation. – went into operation in 1901. It was no longer connected to a factory, but marked the beginning of comprehensive Canoe course (Eiskanal) power supply in Bavarian Swabia. 22 For the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, the historical ice canal was developed to create the first artificial whitewater canoe Power plant at the Senkelbach course in the world. Thus 17 The power plant built in 1904 situated at modern-day sport is also a part the oldest canal of the Wertach initially supplied of the centuries-old tradition of a machine factory. Later it was used for general the Water System of Augsburg. power supply. It is still working today with modern The course is still used today for turbines. The set of machines used in 1923 has international competitions. been preserved, but is no longer in operation. Langweid / Meitingen TOUR OVERVIEW GENERAL PLAN 21 18 Gersthofen 16 8 Discover 8 Augsburg’s world 17 TOUR 2 heritage on site. 15 4 The Water Management System Tour 1 Inner city tour of Augsburg comprises a unit of Tour 2 Romantic & industry tour 22 elements based on a network of Tour 3 City & forest tour canals. With three rivers and numerous Tour 4 Wolfzahnau & Wertach tour 17 springs, the natural conditions are 17 12 20 extraordinarily favourable. Wertach TOUR TOUR 3 CANALS TOUR 2 2 Lech canals 300 22 Canoe course (Eiskanal) 5 1 300 DRINKING WATERWORKS 10 4 Waterworks at Rotes Tor 7 2 5 Lower waterworks Main station i 8 6 Waterworks at Vogeltor 6 Lech 9 11 Waterworks at Hochablass 300 Friedberg