Fugger und Welser Erlebnismuseum

About the museum

The museum is located in the cathedral quarter in the so-called Wieselhaus, a Renaissance building with arcades and loggias erected around 1530. It is named after the optician Johann Wiesel, who made eyeglasses, telescopes and microscopes here for scholars and princely courts between 1637 and 1642. The building survived World War II undamaged but afterwards fell into disrepair.

From 2009, the owner, the Stiftung Katholischer Studienfonds, had the listed building extensively restored and the arcades, bricked up in the 17th century, reopened and glazed. Regio Augsburg Tourismus GmbH set up an experience museum inside, which opened in 2014 and received several design awards for its scenography.

Instead of original objects, the exhibition relies on staged settings, films, listening stations and interactive technology: with a "Pfeffersäckchen" (little pepper sack), visitors call up content for adults or children in German or English. Topics include fustian weaving, long-distance trade via Venice and the sea routes, financial dealings with emperors and popes, mining and the postal system. Since a revision in 2021/22, the museum has focused more closely on the dark sides of early capitalism – such as the exploitation of miners and the Welsers' involvement in the slave trade – and has added perspectives from other regions of the world to the European narrative.

Highlights

• Replica of the "Goldene Schreibstube" (Golden Counting Room) with a staged conversation between Jakob Fugger and Bartholomäus V. Welser
• Banquet hall with "talking" portraits of Augsburg patricians
• Interactive map table on the sea voyage to India
• Vaulted cellar on the mining activities of the Fuggers and Welsers, with manillas
• Renaissance garden of the Wieselhaus
• Artwork "4,578 (4.578)" by Veronica Jackson on the Welsers' role in the slave trade

Permanent exhibitions

• Das Zeitalter der Fugger und Welser – Multimedia permanent exhibition on the trade, financial dealings, mining and networks of the two Augsburg trading houses around 1500 – with links to the present and a critical look at colonization and exploitation.

Founded

2014

Operated by

Regio Augsburg Tourismus GmbH

Admission & discounts

Free admission for companions, ICOM, DMB and BVGD members and with the Ehrenamtskarte (volunteer card). During the fall school holidays, KNAX rate (€1.50, or €12 for families).

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials
• Audio description: no information

Elevator to all floors, folding stools, one accessible parking space (ask at the ticket desk). Guide booklet in simpler language and Braille, museum bag with tactile objects, audio guide via QR code, transcripts of all listening stations, audio streamed directly to hearing aids, films with subtitles. Guided tours for people with visual or hearing impairments and in Easy Language; sign language interpreters on request. "Bayern barrierefrei" seal and "Reisen für Alle" accessibility report. Nearest accessible tram stop: Hoher Weg.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Kids’ birthday parties

Every child receives a little pepper sack and a "Handelsbuch" (trade book) for independent exploring, with the companion figure Konrad; numerous interactive stations. Children's tours (45–60 min., also for preschoolers), children's birthday parties (2 hours), and holiday program (2–3.5 hours).

Getting there & parking

With a stroller or a walking disability, use the accessible stop "Hoher Weg"; the route from "Klinik Vincentinum" involves many steps.

Amenities & dining

Fair-trade sweets and coffee at the ticket desk.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

Exclusive evening events (until 22:00) in the museum and museum garden, e.g. birthdays or company parties, with a sparkling wine reception, finger food, guided tour or team event.

Plan your visit