Maximilianmuseum

The Maximilianmuseum in Augsburg is the city's oldest municipal museum and stands in the pedestrian zone on Fuggerplatz. The collection is housed in a 15th-century patrician house, which Leonhard Beck von Beckenstein gave a stately Renaissance facade in the 16th century. After serving various uses, including as a Protestant orphanage, the building was purchased by the city in 1853 and opened on December 28, 1854, as Augsburg's first museum. It received its name in 1856 on the occasion of a visit by the Bavarian king Maximilian II. Today the building is a protected landmark and was awarded the Bavarian Museum Prize in 2007.

Inside, you experience a mix of historic ambiance and modern presentation. A glass roof spans the Viermetzhof, where the original statues of Augsburg's magnificent fountains by Adrian de Vries and Hubert Gerhard are on display. These originals were moved here after a restoration, while replicas now stand in the cityscape. The permanent exhibitions are spread across three floors and show sculptures, goldsmith work, architectural models, and exhibits on the history of the Imperial City from the Middle Ages to mediatization in 1805, among other things. A particular treasure is the historic model chamber, which houses design and commemorative models of buildings that are unique in the world, as well as technical models of the water supply system. This collection was saved from destruction in World War II.

The museum also holds a significant coin collection. With roughly one thousand medieval coins, two thousand Augsburg coins, two thousand foreign coins, and fifty medals, it is the most important public collection of its kind for the Free Imperial City of Augsburg. Roman coins were transferred to the Roman Museum at an earlier date. In addition to the permanent exhibitions, the museum regularly presents changing special exhibitions that shed light on different aspects of art and cultural history, such as the history of the Peace of Augsburg or the life of Emperor Maximilian I.