Located in deepest Bavaria, Augsburg is Germany’s third oldest city, being founded by the Romans and named after the Roman emperor Augustus.
I was back for the second time in twelve months to play another show with the Monochrome Set, and made the most of my spare time walking around the city and snapping photos.
Getting to Augsburg involved flying to Munich and then catching a train through snow-covered landscapes to Augsburg.
Munich station.
The man in white.
Once again, we stayed at the wonderful Grand Hotel Cosmopolis, a former nursing home which now accommodates refugees, artists, musicians, and travellers under the same roof.
Based on the idea of the ‘Social Sculpture,’ the Cosmopolis provides an alternative solution of how refugees can be integrated into social life rather than living completely isolated from society. Read more here.
Clocks in the hotel.
View from my hotel room. Each room had been decorated and themed by a different artist.
Artwork inside the hotel.
Hotel wall.
Augsburg was in the grip of a particularly chilly snap, with temperatures falling to -10C and below.
Before the gig, I went for a wander around town.
Walking out of town.
Sledging.
Augsburg lies at the convergence of the Alpine rivers Lech and Wertach and on the Singold.
Walking by the river.
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Curious note on a tree.
Building over a river.
Snowy scenes.
The Dorint Hotel Tower stands 107.2m tall (158m with the antenna) and is the highest building in the Augsburg area, and among the ten highest in Bavaria.
Built in 1972, the tower is architecturally similar to the Marina City towers in Chicago, and is nicknamed “Maiskolben” (corncob) because of its shape. Read more here.
Snow covered tracks into the station.
Upturned wagon.
No idea what this means!
The stunningly beautiful St. Michael’s Chapel, Augsburg.
Discarded candles.
Built in 1389, the original Weberhaus served as the seat of the weavers guild. In 1913, the dilapidated building was flattened and a new, similarly shaped building was built by Otto Holzer.
That building was destroyed in the war and rebuilt in 1959, surviving a devastating fire in 2004. Read more here.
Street scenes and architecture.
Snow covered tables.
Children’s playground covered in snow.
Game of table tennis, anyone?
I wonder if Flora said yes?
We went out for a meal with the band. Beer was, naturally, involved.
The Monochrome Set and Augsburg friends.
Late bar.
Stickers.
More German beer. Oh yes.
This poster was outrageously sexist. Fancy a Gauloises? Let’s take our clothes off!
I’d never seen an ID scanning cigarette machine before. Apparently they’re all over Europe.
We were back at the City Club which is a brilliant venue in the centre of town – and they serve amazing pizzas downstairs!
This was my kit for the night: an old 1970s Tama number.
Support band soundchecking. They were lovely chaps.
This was my favourite beer of the tour: Feines Helles. Lovely stuff!
I went for another quick stroll before catching the train in the morning. It was a cracking day: cold but sunny.
The tunnel leading to the station.
Augsburg March 2017
Here’s a selection of photos from my first trip to Augsburg with The Monochrome Set last year:
Rooms in the Cosmopolis hotel.
Tram lines.
Disko box.
Tram station.
More beer. Yay!
Inside the City Club bar/restaurant.
Tram station at night.
Queue to get into the Monochrome Set gig.
The excellent support act onstage.
Monochrome Set onstage (pics by Vanessa)
After show DJ night.
Back in the hotel.
C & A still lives on in Germany!
Tram wires.
More Monochrome Set info on the Facebook page and official site.