I really enjoyed being part of the 5th annual gathering of the German Urban Sketchers ( #USK2019AUGSBURG) end of August in the beautiful city of Augsburg.
Augsburg is one of the oldest Cities in Germany dating back until 15BC. Even the name reminds of the roman emperors. In Renaissance times it’s said to have ben the richest city of the world, were the nobility met for making politics during “Reichstag” in 16th century. And even it was very hard destroyed during WWII many buildings are reconstructed and it is simply beautiful.
Here are some of my drawings …
PERLACH TOWER next to the famous Augsburg renaissance town hall looks like a church but isn’t! It has ben for a thousand years a watchtower at this place. Its present appearance dates from the 17th century.
Not far away, two street musicians from Romania made marvellous energetic jazz. We just had to stop and draw them …
All this we have seen from the Merkur Platz, which has its name after the fountain with the Mercury figure.
The Moritzkirche impressed me enormously. It is almost exactly 1000 years old, very damaged in 1944 and recently completely redesigned by the British Architect John Pawson. It impresses with its pure simplicity. The baroque Jesus figure by the “German Michelangelo” Georg Petel (1602-1634) radiates in that surrounding so much energy, as he would walk on earth again. Pure resurrection power! I have to come back here!
Another wonderful place is the Hofgarten in Augsburg. There are lots of greenery and water and funny little sculptures. In summer, people sit in the sun and read a book that they can take out of a public bookshelf. I love that!
The Kastenturm belongs to the craft museum. There was an inspiring workshop with Jan Philipp Schwarz and a good time to draw.
Bertold Brecht was born in Augsburg in the unspectacular house. His older brother later said: “I was pour and shabby and we were happy to move from here just two years oft my brother was born.” Today it is a museum but I went there in the very morning. It was sill closed.
Golden Hall in Augsburg’s city hall. I got the chance to see it so to say at the last minute of my stay. Below that very impressive hall the exhibition of the drawings of our German urban sketchers gathering were shown. But I came here only an hour before I had to go to the train station, so I had to hurry. But what a flicker, gold and brightness and much too much of everything here. Augsburg once was the richest city in the world! And here you can get an impression of it! Sometimes it is helpful just to have a little time to sketch not to get lost in all the details.
Thanks to all the Urban Sketchers in Augsburg for all the organisation. You did a marvellous job!
