Fighting over Churches: Augsburg and Multiconfessional Cities in the Thirty Years War.

This article examines the religious dynamics surrounding church destruction, seizure, and reconstruction in multiconfessional cities like Augsburg during and after the Thirty Years War (1618–1648). It highlights how shifting military control affected confessional rights to worship and church property, with Lutheran and Catholic communities experiencing both conflict and enforced coexistence. The 1648 Peace of Westphalia established church ownership based on occupancy in 1624, enabling minority confessions to rebuild or construct new churches, often with elaborate Baroque architecture to assert confessional legitimacy. Postwar fundraising efforts, including appeals beyond the Holy Roman Empire, were crucial for reconstruction amid widespread economic devastation. The article also notes how the memory of these religious struggles influenced later commemorations, such as Augsburg’s Peace Festival, which evolved into a broader celebration of religious tolerance.