Step onto the town square in Augsburg and look up. There, proudly perched above the bustling crowds, sits a magnificent Zirbelnuss, a copper pine cone. Today, it’s a symbol of Augsburg, but its story goes back centuries, all the way to the Roman era. It sits atop the towering Augsburg Town Hall, built in the Renaissance style.
The Zirbelnuss wasn’t always a symbol of the city. The Romans, who founded Augsburg in 15 BC, saw it as a symbol of immortality. The Romans even used it on their legionary standards, and it was the standard of the very legion that conquered this region. Today, it’s also featured on the coat of arms of the city, a lasting reminder of the ancient roots that run deep beneath the city’s streets.
But the Zirbelnuss on the Town Hall wasn’t always there. The original Town Hall was built in 1385, and in 1609 the council wanted to renovate it. After six years of work by the renowned architect Elias Holl, the council decided to simply demolish the old building altogether and erect a completely new Town Hall. Elias Holl insisted on adding the two onion domes by the gable, which we see today, and the Zirbelnuss was finally placed atop the beautiful new monument. In 1620, after nine years of building, the exterior of the Town Hall was finished. The interior was completed in 1624. The Zirbelnuss then assumed its prominent position as a symbol of the city, a lasting tribute to Augsburg’s rich history and proud heritage.