par Martino, Davide
Référence 45th Annual Conference of the German Studies Association (Indianapolis, USA/online)
Publication Non publié, 2021-09-01
Communication à un colloque
Résumé : The historic centre of the city of Augsburg lies on a plateau overlooking the confluence of two rivers, the Lech and the Wertach. Roman troops had chosen this location because it was easily defendable from enemy attacks; as the medieval city expanded into the floodplain, however, it became increasingly vulnerable to a less predictable foe, water. This paper will begin by considering the hydrology of the Lech and the Wertach, two Alpine rivers prone to meandering, flooding, and changing course. These features will help understand the considerable investments made by the Free Imperial City of Augsburg in weirs, dams, and canals in the early modern period. The urban hydraulic infrastructure, indeed, sought to keep the bulk of the water at bay, whilst ensuring a steady supply of hydropower for mills and workshops. If river movements were often a threat, they could also offer opportunities. In the fifteenth century, the Lech moved eastwards, revealing a series of freshwater springs which had previously flown directly into the river. These soon became the main source of drinking water for Augsburg: pumped at the City Council’s expenses into reservoirs on top of towers, the water was thence distributed through a network of underground timber pipes to the city’s public and private buildings, as well as to its fountains. Statues of the Lech and the Wertach decorated one of these fountains, the Augustusbrunnen. The city’s relationship with its turbulent rivers, indeed, was not limited to hydraulic engineering: artists sculpted, painted, and engraved their personifications; lawyers disentangled the numerous jurisdictions overlapping on their banks; fishers relied on them for their livelihoods; and rafters drove timber logs and boats down their stream. In order to capture the various facets of this relationship, this paper will deploy the methodology of environmental history: Augsburg will be conceptualised as a terraqueous site, where humans and nature were engaged in a process of co-creation. Though many early modern cities had multi-faceted interactions with their rivers, Augsburg’s hydraulic infrastructure and the sources relating to it have been remarkably well-preserved in the intervening centuries. This was recognised by UNESCO who, in 2019, added the Augsburg water management system to the World Heritage List. Relying on these material, visual, and written sources, this paper will focus on the municipal officials who found themselves at the interface of the city’s relationship with its turbulent rivers. The Lechmeister (Master of the Lech / of canals), the Grabenmeister (Master of moats) and the Brunnenmeister (Master of springs / fountains) each employed a considerable workforce to build, upkeep, and repair the urban hydraulic infrastructure of Augsburg. Through their eyes, this paper will retrace the city’s efforts to harness its turbulent rivers in the early modern period.

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