believed to have originated from the Netherlands in the 1650s, killed around 100,000 people, and was the first major epidemic in a series of outbreaks. In 1666 a severe plague raged in Cologne and on the Rhine, which was prolonged until 1670 in the district. In the Netherlands, there was a plague in 1667–1669, but there are no definite notices of it after 1672. France saw its last plague epidemic in 1668. In the years 1675–1684 a new plague wave originated in the Ottoman Empire (Turkey and areas of the Balkans). It moved into North Africa, Bohemia, Poland, Hungary, Austria and Saxony, progressing generally northward. The island of Malta lost 11,000 people in an epidemic in 1675–76. The plague of Vienna in 1679 was very severe, causing at least 76,000 deaths. Other urban centers in this area of Europe had similar levels of casualties. For instance, Prague in 1681 lost 83,000 due to plague. Dresden was affected in 1680, Magdeburg and Halle in 1682. In Halle, a mortality of 4,397 out of a population of about 10,000 was recorded. Many North German city populations fell in these years. By 1683, the plague disappeared from Germany until the epidemic of 1707. Lieber Augustin The great plague of 1679 gave rise to the legend of Lieber Augustin ("Dear Augustin"). Augustin was a popular street musician, who, according to the legend, fell into a pit with bodies of plague victims, late at night when he was drunk. Augustin did not contract the disease, which may have been owed to the influence of the alcohol. Augustin is remembered in the popular folk song Oh du lieber Augustin. See also History of Vienna Pestsäule (Vienna) References Ackerknecht, Erwin H. "History and Geography of the Most Important Diseases." New York: Hafner Publishers, 1965. Gregg, Charles T. "Plague: An Ancient Disease in the Twentieth Century." Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1985. AEIOU on the Lieber Augustin Second plague pandemic 17th century in Vienna Health disasters in Europe 17th-century health disasters 1679 disasters 1679 in the Habsburg monarchy 17th century in Austria Health disasters in Austria 17th-century epidemics Health in Austria