Learn German with the Augsburg Saga – A2.3 Interlinear German–English Reader

The Cold Years

Learn German through story and carefully graded A2-level language — with immediate English support when you need it.

The Cold Years is the third book of the A2 level in the Augsburg Saga.
It is written in clear, controlled A2 German and presented in an interlinear German–English format, sentence by sentence.

Hartwig A2.3

Each German sentence is followed directly by its English translation.
The English is not word-for-word and not literary prose. It stays close to the German in meaning and structure and serves purely as a reading aid, allowing you to continue reading without constant dictionary use.

❄️ Augsburg, 1771–1772: cold weather, poor harvests, quiet pressure

The story takes place in Augsburg during the early 1770s, when the region experiences unusual climate instability. These years are remembered as "the cold years": long winters, late frosts, heavy rain, and repeated harvest problems.

Hartwig A2.3

In the city, the consequences are practical and immediate:

market stalls become fewer
bread becomes more expensive
families watch their supplies carefully
damp wood and wet roads shape everyday work

Priest Hartwig and his family live near St. Ulrich and Afra and try to help others while managing their own worries. The story stays calm and realistic, focusing on daily decisions under persistent hardship, not on dramatic events.

Hartwig A2.3

A key question begins to appear: whether new crops and new methods — including the still unfamiliar potato — might help people survive if the cold returns again.

Hartwig A2.3

📖 What this A2.3 reader includes

One complete A2.3 story (self-contained)
Interlinear German–English format (sentence by sentence)
Short English historical introduction
Clear chapter structure
Chapter summaries
Questions and answers for comprehension
Carefully controlled A2 vocabulary and sentence structures

👥 Who this book is for

Learners progressing through A2
Adult learners who want real reading practice
Self-study readers building stamina and confidence
Teachers seeking calm, chapter-based material
Readers interested in everyday historical life

📚 Part of a larger series

This book can be read independently.
It is also part of the Augsburg Saga, a long historical reading series that follows the same family from A1 through C1, across many centuries.

For longer reading sessions and better value, Omnibus editions are available:

German–English interlinear Omnibus
German-only Omnibus

These combine all books of a level in one volume and are more affordable than purchasing the single books individually.

Continue the story — and let your German grow step by step.

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