St. Ulrich's and St. Afra's Abbey, Augsburg

The origins of spiritual life at this site date back to the 8th century, with the presumed existence of a Benedictine monastic community. Between 1006 and 1012, an existing collegiate church of St. Afra was transformed into a Benedictine monastery by Bishop Brun and populated with monks from Tegernsee. In 1410, Abbot Johannes Kissinger obtained the pontificals. The current abbey church, whose construction began in 1474, was declared an “Imperial Church” by Emperor Maximilian I in 1500. Despite imperial and papal privileges, the monastery remained dependent on the bishop until the end of the Middle Ages. In the 15th century, the monastery experienced a flourishing period due to the Melk Reform and developed into one of the most important foundations in Southern Germany, known for its extensive library and the promotion of calligraphy and typography. Günther Zainer, Augsburg's first printer, managed the monastery's printing press here from 1468. During the Reformation, the monks went into exile in 1537 but returned in 1548. In 1577, the monastery achieved the status of a free Imperial Abbey. The final recognition of its imperial immediacy occurred in 1643/44. In the course of secularization, the monastery was dissolved in 1802, and the abbey church became a city parish church in 1810.

The former Collegiate Church of St. Ulrich and Afra is situated in the southern Old Town of Augsburg, a city in the German state of Bavaria. The complex is located at an elevation of approximately 495 meters above sea level.

After secularization and its use as a military hospital and barracks until World War II, the site today hosts the St. Ulrich Conference Hotel of the Diocese of Augsburg, which opened in 1975.

• Schaezler Palais (Residence, approx. 406 m away)
• Fugger Residenz (Residence, approx. 506 m away)
• Burggrafenturm (Castle, approx. 1218 m away)
• Bischöfliches Palais Augsburg (Residence, approx. 1251 m away)