Augsburg (district)

Augsburg
District
Country	Germany
State	Bavaria
Adm. region	Swabia
Capital	Augsburg
Area
• Total	1,071 km2 (414 sq mi)
Population (31 December 2015)
• Total	245,600
• Density	230/km2 (590/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Vehicle registration	A
Website	www.landkreis-augsburg.de

Augsburg is a district in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany. It is bounded by (from the east and clockwise) the city of Augsburg and the districts of Aichach-Friedberg, Landsberg, Ostallgäu, Unterallgäu, Günzburg, Dillingen and Donau-Ries. The city of Augsburg is not part of the district, but nonetheless is its administrative seat.

In Roman times the Via Claudia connected the city of Augsburg and Italy. In 233 the Alamanni broke through the Limes, and the Roman rule over Swabia was ended. During the time of the Holy Roman Empire Augsburg was a bishopric principality. The city and the adjoining regions became subordinate to Bavaria after the Napoleonic Wars.

The district of Augsburg was established in 1972 by merging the former districts of Augsburg and Schwabmünchen and parts of other adjoining districts.

More than twice as old as Nuremberg or Munich, Augsburg was founded in 15 B.C. by the Roman commanders Drusus and Tiberius. Under the orders of their stepfather Emperor Augustus, they enslaved the Celts and Alp-dwellers and founded the military camp Augusta Vindelicorum on the site of current-day Augsburg. The camp soon became the capital of the Roman province Raetia.

Augsburg’s early development was molded by its 400-year affiliation with the Roman Empire. Critical to its ascent were its military importance in the Roman Empire, as well as its favorable location at the confluence of the Alpine rivers, the Lech and the Wertach, with direct access to the most important Alpine passes. Consequently, Augsburg was situated at the intersection of many important European east-west and north-south connections. Out of these Roman roads emerged the trade routes of the Middle Ages.

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Wikipedia