This month, UNESCO announced that seven new sites had been added to its World Heritage List. Among the newest additions is ICLEI Member Augsburg’s (Germany) historic and impressive water management system.

The city has sustainably used and managed its water for centuries. Augsburg’s water management system dates back 800 years and includes aqueducts, fountains, canals, water towers that are hundreds of years old, and over 500 bridges. Over the years, the system has been used to provide inhabitants with clean drinking water, sanitation services, and sustainable energy, and to support industry.

The intricate water management system is particularly notable for how pioneering it was. For example, the city was separating industrial and drinking water long before science had confirmed the necessity of doing so, and was using hydraulic methods to pump water into and through water towers when this was a feat of engineering. The city’s so-called “Wassertürme am Roten Tor” waterworks is thought to be the oldest existing building of its kind in Germany and Central Europe.

As part of their application for World Heritage status, Augsburg put together a video highlighting the elements of their water management system that visitors can continue to see today. Being acknowledged as a World Heritage site is an honour that is expected to bring Augsburg tourism, and ensures that the management system will be protected.

For more information on Augsburg’s water management system, please click here (website available in English and German).