10 Best Facts about Freiburg

Freiburg im Breisgau. Photo by Luftfahrer = Norbert Blau.Wikimedia commons

10 Best Facts about Freiburg

Freiburg is an independent city located in Baden-Wurttemberg in Germany which as of 31 December 2018 had a population of about 230,000 people.

It is the fourth largest city after Stuttgart, Mannheim and Karlsruhe in Baden-Wurttemberg. The official name of the city is Freiburg im Breisgau. However, people commonly refer to the city as Freiburg.

Freiburg is a university city located on the southern edge of Germany’s black forest. The city is known for its medieval town centre as its cobblestone squares are lined with Baroque, Renaissance and Gothic buildings. 

The town’s buildings were reconstructed carefully after the Second World War to their current status.  The many lush parks and surrounding highlands have made Freiburg one of Europe’s most beautiful and sustainable cities.

The 10 best facts about Freiburg include the following.

1. The Most Distinctive Land Mark in The City Is the Freiburg Münster

Freiburg Münster. Photo by user:Joergens.mi. Wikimedia Commons

With its towering height and Gothic architecture, the Freiburg Münster (cathedral of Freiburg im Breisgau) is the most distinctive landmark in the city.

The Freiburg Münster is one of the few structures that survived bombing during the Second World War.

Standing at 116 meters in height, the Gothic bell tower in the cathedral is the most impressive feature. Visitors can enjoy the panoramic views of Freiburg city from the viewing deck in the cathedral.

Visitors are charged a few Euros to climb the 400-step stairway to the viewing deck in the structure which was built between 13^th and 14^th centuries ago.  

2. Freiburg Hosts One of the Oldest Universities in The World

Albert-Ludwigs-University. Photo by Taxiarchos228. Wikimedia Commons

The University of Freiburg which is officially known as Albert-Ludwigs-University is a public research university founded in 1947 in Freiburg im Breisgau.

The University of Freiburg is one of the most reputable universities in Germany as well as one of the oldest in the country.

The university was founded after the University of Vienna as the second university in Austrian-Habsburg territory by the Habsburg dynasty.

The university enjoys a high reputation both nationally and internationally due to its long tradition of teaching humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and technology.

3. Freiburg Has Been a Stronghold of German Catholic Christianity for Over 1,700 Years

Charlemagne (742-814). Photo by http://www.culture.gouv.fr/public. Wikimedia Commons

Freiburg has remained a stronghold of German Catholic Christianity for over 1700 years even during the times of King Charlemagne of France as from 742 AD to 814 AD.

Charlemagne united Germany and France into the Holy Roman Empire under the leadership of the Pope.

Even after the reformation, Freiburg remained true to the Roman Catholic Religion and is a strong centre for Catholicism. The Freiburg Munster has remained the seat of the Archdiocese since it was founded in 1827.

4. Brass Plates Commemorate the City’s Holocaust Victims

Jewish citizens of Freiburg were deported to a camp in Southern France during the Second World War.

1n 1942 the Jewish citizens who survived the inhuman conditions in the camp were sent to their death at Auschwitz Concentration camp.

The only memory of the victims that still remains to date is the brass plates in the pavements of Freiburg streets.

5. The Münsterplatzis the Largest Square in The City

Surrounded by beautiful buildings, the Münsterplatz i.e. the minster square is the largest square in Freiburg.

Decorated with colorful bay windows and statutes of four emperors, the red historic merchant’s hall is a beautiful building surrounding the square. On the northwestern corner of the square is another historic prominent house called the Kornhaus.

On weekdays as from 7.30 to 13.30 a market is held at the square while merchants offer their goods on the southern side of the square. Cafes and restaurants are some of the facilities to be found in close proximity to the square

6. Freiburg is Famous for Bächle

Freiburg Bächle. Photo by Avi1111 dr. avishai teicher. Wikimedia Commons

Bächle are a system of gutters or small channels which are found in Freiburg. These gutters line the streets in the city centre. During hot summer days, the gutters provide a cooling effect to the city residents and visitors alike.

The Bächle are constantly flowing with water diverted from the river Dreisam which children love to splash and play in with their toys.

7. The Schlossberg Is the Birthplace of The City

Located right on the edge of the city, the Schlossberg or castle hill is the birthplace of the city.

Visitors to castle hill get to an amazing vantage point where they can have an amazing view of the city

Apart from restaurants and walking trails visitors can climb to the tower to get excellent views of the city.

8. The City Has One of The Oldest City Gates Called the Martinstor

Put up around 1202, the Martinstor is the older of the two city gates on the southwest side of the Old Town.  Even though analysis of the timber making up the gate dates much earlier, first record of the gate date back to 1238.

The upper floors of the gate date to the turn of the 20^th century and were capped with a Late Gothic style roof. The lower third of the gate’s tower is from the original timber used to construct the gate around 1202.

A plaque commemorating three women burned as witches in the city in 1599 stand on the city side of the passageway. The plaque is a grim reminder of the kind of justice practiced in days gone by.

9. One of The Most Notable Features of The City is The Whale House

One of the most notable features of the city is the whale house otherwise known as Haus zum Walfisch.

This early elegant renaissance house was constructed on the order of the Grand Treasurer to the Holy Roman Emperor, Jakob Villinger von Schönenberg.

For hundreds of years, many important personalities have been accommodated in the house which dates back to the 1510’s. 

Some of the important personalities who have been accommodated in the house include Emperor Ferdinand I, horror director Dario Agento and Dutch humanist Erasmus among others.

10. Freiburg Has A Grave That Must Be Looked After Forever

In the Freiburg’s Alter Friedhof or old cemetery is a grave that must be looked after forever as long as the city remains. In 1797, a man named Johann Christian Wentzinger passed away and willed his estate to the city.

 Mr. Wentzinger left his estate to the city on condition that the city takes care of his grave for eternity.  The cemetery which was closed in 1872 is visited much as a cultural activity.

People walk in the peaceful nature on the north fringe of the old town viewing the tombs of the city’s wealthy and noble citizens interred there.