The German city 'Ausburg' is a World Heritage city

At its 43rd session held recently in Baku, Azerbaijan, the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO, granted the Augsburg Application of the ‘Augsburg Water Management System’ with the exclusive UNESCO World Heritage title. At this meeting, 36 proposals were identified from around the world - three of them with German participation. The city’s delight is huge and a major water festival was launched in the city center. Mayor Dr Gribl: “An incomparable treasure in the city” Mayor Dr Kurt Gribl says in a first reaction: “With the recognition of the Augsburg Water Management System as a World Heritage Site, UNESCO honors an incomparable treasure that the city has retained since its founding. The location of Augsburg at the confluence of ‘Lech’ and ‘Wertach’ is no coincidence, but strategically well considered. Augsburg enjoys the full economic and cultural development of both river waters and the abundance of

drinking water in the Forest City. For centuries, Lech’s hydropower was used in an innovative way to drive wheel mills and pumping stations.

Augsburg’s craftsmanship flourished and made the city rich - also because, thanks to an ingenious canal system, good hygienic conditions prevailed and the best drinking water was available to the citizens. The interaction between human ingenuity, pioneering engineering science and the art of the Great Fountain is the winning concept of the unique water management system that can be tested in Augsburg for more than eight centuries. To this day, we can truly take pride in this world heritage as a city and be happy with all our hearts.”

Cultural Officer Thomas Weitzel (in Baku/Azerbaijan) “The system of the Augsburg water management located like a connecting bracket around the city, which is rich in cultural monuments, from the oldest water towers in Europe and the art-historically important fountains to outstanding monuments of industrial culture or the canoe route in the former Olympic site. The 22 objects of the Augsburg World Heritage Application represent a unique special case in a combination of historical and artistic significance: They are all closely linked to the technological achievements of hydraulic engineering, the sustainable use of hydropower and the resource-saving separation of drinking and service water. The title of UNESCO requires us to preserve the excellent monuments. At the same time we realize that with the world title, we accept mediation order through the exchange of tradition and knowledge of the sustainable use of water as a vital resource and communication with the international community.”