Freiburg im Breisgau, usually shortened to Freiburg, is the fourth-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, Mannheim and Karlsruhe. Its built-up area has a population of about 355,000 (2021), while the greater Freiburg metropolitan area (Einzugsgebiet) has about 660,000 (2018).
Freiburg is located at the southwestern foothills of the Black Forest, on the Dreisam River, a tributary of the Elz. It is Germany's southwestern- and southernmost city with a population exceeding 100,000. It lies in the Breisgau, one of Germany's warmest regions, in the south of the Upper Rhine Plain. Its city limits reach from the Schauinsland summit (1,284 metres (4,213 ft)) in the Black Forest to 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) east of the French border, while Switzerland is 42 kilometres (26 mi) to the south. The city is situated in the major wine-growing region of Baden and, together with Offenburg, serves as a tourist entry-point to the scenic Black Forest. According to meteorological statistics, Freiburg held the all-time German temperature record of 40.2 °C (104.4 °F) from 2003 to 2015.
An old university town and archiepiscopal seat, it was incorporated in the early 12th century and soon became a commercial, intellectual and ecclesiastical center for the Upper Rhine region. The University of Freiburg (Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg), founded in 1457, is one of Germany's oldest universities. Freiburg's main landmark is the Freiburg Minster (Freiburger Münster), which was built between c. 1200 and 1513 and has been described as "Gothic architectural masterpiece".
The old town is traversed by an extensive system of runnels called Bächle (lit. 'small streams'), that are fed with water from the Dreisam and run on the side of almost all streets and alleys, giving the city a unique touch. Freiburg has a high standard of living, and is known for its advanced environmental practices, which is embodied by local housing projects such as the creation of the sustainable district of Vauban.
The dialect spoken in Freiburg is classified as (Upper Rhenish) Low Alemannic, and therefore most closely related to the other dialects of Baden north of Markgräflerland and south of Karlsruhe, to most dialects historically spoken in Alsace (Alsatian), and to Basel German.
Contents
History
Freiburg was founded by Konrad and Duke Berthold III of the House of Zähringen in 1120 as a free market town; hence its name, which translates to "free (or independent) town". Frei means "free", and Burg, like the modern English word "borough", was used in those days for an incorporated city or town, usually one with some degree of autonomy. The German word Burg also means "a fortified town", as in Hamburg. Thus, it is likely that the name of this place means a "fortified town of free citizens".
This town was strategically located at a junction of trade routes between the Mediterranean Sea and the North Sea regions, and the Rhine and Danube rivers. In 1200, Freiburg's population numbered approximately 6,000 people. At about that time, under the rule of Bertold V, the last duke of Zähringen, the town began construction of its Freiburg Minster on the site of an older parish church. Begun in the Romanesque style, it was continued and completed 1513 for the most part as a Gothic edifice. In 1218, when Bertold V died, then Egino V von Urach, the count of Urach assumed the title of Freiburg's count as Egino I von Freiburg. The town council did not trust the new nobles and wrote down its established rights in a document. At the end of the thirteenth century there was a feud between the town of Freiburg and their lord, Count Egino II of Freiburg. Egino II raised taxes and sought to limit the citizens' freedom, after which the Freiburgers used catapults to destroy the count's castle atop the Schloßberg, a hill that overlooks the town. The furious count called on his brother-in-law the Prince-Bishop of Strasbourg, Conrad of Lichtenberg, for help. The bishop responded by marching with his army to Freiburg.
According to an old Freiburg legend, a butcher named Hauri stabbed the Bishop of Strasbourg to death on 29 July 1299. It was a Pyrrhic victory, since henceforth the citizens of Freiburg had to pay an annual expiation of 300 marks in silver to the count of Freiburg until 1368. In 1366 the counts of Freiburg made another failed attempt to occupy the town during a night raid. Eventually the inhabitants were fed up with their lords, and in 1368 Freiburg purchased its independence from them. The town turned itself over to the protection of the Habsburgs, who allowed the town to retain a large measure of freedom. Most of the nobles of the city died in the battle of Sempach (1386). The patrician family Schnewlin took control of the city until the guildsmen revolted. The guilds became more powerful than the patricians by 1389.
The silver mines in Mount Schauinsland provided an important source of capital for Freiburg. This silver made Freiburg one of the richest cities in Europe, and in 1327 Freiburg minted its own coin, the Rappenpfennig. In 1377 the cities of Freiburg, Basel, Colmar, and Breisach entered into a monetary alliance known as the Genossenschaft des Rappenpfennigs (Rappenpfennig Collective). This alliance facilitated commerce among the cities and lasted until the end of the sixteenth century. There were 8,000–9,000 people living in Freiburg between the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, and 30 churches and monasteries. At the end of the fourteenth century the veins of silver were dwindling, and by 1460 only approximately 6,000 people still lived within Freiburg's city walls.
Points of interest
Because of its scenery, relatively warm and sunny climate, and easy access to the Black Forest, Freiburg is a hub for regional tourism. In 2010, Freiburg was voted as the Academy of Urbanism's European City of the Year in recognition of the exemplary sustainable urbanism it had implemented over the preceding decades.
The longest cable car run in Germany, which is 3.6 kilometres (2.2 mi) long, runs from Günterstal up to a nearby mountain called Schauinsland.
The city has an unusual system of gutters (called Freiburg Bächle) that run throughout its centre. These Bächle, once used to provide water to fight fires and feed livestock, are constantly flowing with water diverted from the Dreisam. They were never intended to be used for sewage, and even in the Middle Ages such use could lead to harsh penalties. During the summer, the running water provides natural cooling of the air, and offers a pleasant gurgling sound. It is said that if one accidentally falls or steps into a Bächle, they will marry a Freiburger, or 'Bobbele'.
The Augustinerplatz is one of the central squares in the old city. Formerly the location of an Augustinian monastery that became the Augustiner Museum in 1921, it is now a popular social space for Freiburg's younger residents. It has a number of restaurants and bars, including the local brewery 'Feierling', which has a Biergarten. On warm summer nights, hundreds of students gather here.
At the centre of the old city is the Münsterplatz or Cathedral Square, Freiburg's largest square. A farmers' market is held here every day except Sundays. This is the site of Freiburg's Münster, a gothic minster cathedral constructed of red sandstone, built between 1200 and 1530 and noted for its towering spire.
The Historical Merchants' Hall (Historisches Kaufhaus), is a Late Gothic building on the south side of Freiburg's Münsterplatz. Built between 1520 and 1530, it was once the center of the financial life of the region. Its façade is decorated with statues and the coat of arms of four Habsburg emperors.
The Altes Rathaus, or old city hall, was completed in 1559 and has a painted façade. The Platz der alten Synagoge "Old Synagogue Square" is one of the more important squares on the outskirts of the historic old city. The square was the location of a synagogue until it was destroyed on Kristallnacht in 1938. Zum Roten Bären, the oldest hotel in Germany, is located along Oberlinden near the Swabian Gate.
List of popular sights
Arboretum Freiburg-Günterstal, an arboretum in the suburb of Günterstal
Freiburg Botanic Garden
University of Freiburg
University Library Freiburg, the newly renovated library features a modern design
The Whale House, which, in Dario Argento's 1977 horror film Suspiria, served as the Dance Academy, the film's central location
Augustiner Museum
Freiburg Minster
Schauinsland
Schlossberg
Colombischlössle Archeological Museum
Green spaces
Vauban, Freiburg, a sustainable eco-community
Cobblestone mosaics
Castle Kybfelsen
Geography
Freiburg is bordered by the Black Forest mountains Rosskopf and Bromberg to the east, Schönberg and Tuniberg to the south, with the Kaiserstuhl hill region to the west.
Climate
The Köppen climate classification classifies Freiburg's climate as temperate oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb; Trewartha: Dobk). Thus, July and August are, along with Karlsruhe, the warmest within Germany. Winters are moderate but usually with some frosts at night. More year-round rain occurs here than in the Rhine plateau. The city is close to the Kaiserstuhl, a range of hills of volcanic origin located a few kilometers away, which is one of the warmest places in Germany and therefore considered as a viticultural area.
The Freiburg im Breisgau weather station has recorded the following extreme values:
Highest Temperature 40.2 °C (104.4 °F) on 13 August 2003.
Warmest Minimum 26.0 °C (78.8 °F) on 5 July 1957.
Coldest Maximum −13.0 °C (8.6 °F) on 2 February 1956.
Lowest Temperature −21.6 °C (−6.9 °F) on 10 February 1956.
Highest Daily Precipitation 80.3 mm (3.16 in) on 18 May 1994.
Wettest Month 288.9 mm (11.37 in) in August 1963.
Wettest Year 1,224.8 mm (48.22 in) in 1965.
Driest Year 641.0 mm (25.24 in) in 1953.
Earliest Snowfall: 20 October 1905.
Latest Snowfall: 28 April 1985.
Longest annual sunshine: 2,129.4 hours in 2003.
Shortest annual sunshine: 1,457.8 hours in 1980.
Government
Freiburg is known as an "eco-city". In June 1995, the Freiburg city council adopted a resolution that it would permit construction only of "low-energy buildings" on municipal land, and all new buildings must comply with certain low energy specifications. The neighbourhoods of Vauban and Rieselfeld were developed and built in the late 1990s in accordance with the principles of sustainability. The city is also home to a branch of the Federal Office for Radiation Protection, as well as solar industry and research. The citizens of Freiburg are known in Germany for their love of cycling and recycling. Freiburg is host to a number of international organisations, in particular, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, International Solar Energy Society, and the City Mayors Foundation. Politically, it is a longtime stronghold of the Alliance 90/The Greens, who have seen consistent success since the 1990s and have been the largest party on the city council since 2004. For many years, they performed more strongly in Freiburg than any other major city: former mayor Dieter Salomon, who served from 2002 to 2018, was the first member of the Greens to hold such an office in a city of over 100,000 people.
Mayor
The current mayor of Freiburg is Martin Horn since 2018. He was previously a member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) but left before running for mayor. In the election, he was supported by the SPD and the Free Democratic Party (FDP). The most recent mayoral election was held on 22 April 2018, with a runoff held on 6 May, and the results were as follows:
City council
The Freiburg city council governs the city alongside the Mayor. The most recent city council election was held on 9 June 2024, and the results were as follows:
Demographics
Religion
Freiburg belonged to Austria until 1805 and remained Catholic, although surrounding villages like Haslach, Opfingen, Tiengen, and the surrounding land ruled by the Margrave of Baden became Protestant as a result of the Reformation. The city was part of the Diocese of Konstanz until 1821. That same year, Freiburg became an episcopal see of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Freiburg. Due to a dispute between the government of Baden and the Holy See, the archbishop officially took office in 1827.
The borders of the archdiocese correspond with the borders of the former province of Baden and the former Margraviate of Hohenzollern. The cathedral, in which the bishop resides, is Freiburg Minster. Also, part of the ecclesiastical province of Freiburg are the suffragan dioceses of Mainz and Rottenburg-Stuttgart.
Until 1929, the dioceses of Limburg and Fulda also belonged to this ecclesiastical province. The Archbishop of Freiburg holds the title of metropolitan and the German headquarters of the link to Caritas Germany is in Freiburg.
Saint George (the flag of Freiburg has the cross of George), Lambert of Maastricht and the catacomb saint, Alexander, are the patron saints of Freiburg. Many works of art depicting these saints are in the Freiburg Minster, on the Minster square, just as in the museums and archives of the city, including some by Hans Baldung Grien, Hans Holbein the Younger and Gregorius Sickinger.
In 1805, with the attack of Breisgau on the Grand Duchy of Baden by a Catholic ruler, many Protestants moved into the city. Since 2007, any Protestants who are not part of a 'free church' belong to the newly founded deanery of Freiburg as part of the parish of Südbaden which in itself is a part of the Landeskirche Baden.
The seat of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Baden, a free Lutheran church, is situated in Freiburg. There are multiple other free Protestant churches: e.g., the Calvary Chapel or Chrischona International. An old congregation has existed in Freiburg since the late 1900s, which utilises the old monastery church of the Ursulines in the black monastery at the border of the old city center. The Catholic Church of St. Maria Schutz has been made available for Masses by Greek, Serbian, Russian and Rumanian Orthodox congregations.
Education
Freiburg is a center of academia and research, in which numerous intellectual figures and Nobel Laureates have lived, worked, and taught.
The city houses one of the oldest and most renowned of German universities, the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg, as well as its medical center. Alma mater to many eminent figures as Johann Eck, Max Weber, Edmund Husserl, Martin Heidegger, and Friedrich Hayek, it is one of Europe's top research and teaching institutions.
Freiburg also plays host to various other educational and research institutes, such as the Freiburg University of Education, the Protestant University for Applied Sciences Freiburg, Freiburg Music Academy, the Catholic University of Applied Sciences Freiburg, the International University of Cooperative Education IUCE, three Max Planck institutes, five Fraunhofer institutes, and one Leibniz institute.
The city is home to the IES Abroad European Union program, which allows students to study the development and activities of the EU. This is in addition to an Environmental Science and Sustainability program focused on Freiburg's famed green lifestyle and infrastructure. IES Abroad also offers a German Language and Area Studies program where visiting students get to take classes at the University of Freiburg.
The DFG / LFA Freiburg, a French-German high school established by the 1963 Élysée Treaty, is in the city. UWC Robert Bosch College is among the newest members of the United World Colleges (UWC) movement, one of its eighteen colleges around the world, having started accepting students in September 2014.
Transport
Freiburg has a large pedestrian zone in the city centre where no motor cars are allowed. Freiburg also has an extensive public transport system, operated by the city-owned VAG Freiburg. The backbone of the system is the Freiburg tramway network, supplemented by feeder buses. The tram network is very popular as the low fares allow for unlimited transport in the city and surrounding area. Furthermore, any ticket for a concert, sports, or other event is also valid for use on public transport. The tram network is so vast that 70% of the population live within 500m of a tram stop with a tram every 7–8 mins.
Freiburg is on the main Frankfurt am Main – Basel railway line, with frequent and fast long-distance passenger services from the Freiburg Hauptbahnhof to major German and other European cities. Other railway lines run east into the Black Forest and west to Breisach and are served by the Breisgau S-Bahn. The line to Breisach is the remaining stub of the Freiburg–Colmar international railway, severed in 1945 when the railway bridge over the Rhine at Breisach was destroyed, and was never replaced.
The city also is served by the A5 Frankfurt am Main – Basel motorway.
Freiburg is served by EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg in France, close to the borders of both Germany and Switzerland, 70 km (43 mi) south of Freiburg. Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden Airport is approximately 100 km (62 mi) north of Freiburg and is also served by several airlines. The nearest larger international airports include Zurich (130 km (81 mi)), Stuttgart (200 km (120 mi)), and Frankfurt/Main (260 km (160 mi)). The nearby Flugplatz Freiburg (IATA: QFB, ICAO: EDTF), a small airfield in the Messe, Freiburg district, lacks commercial service but is used for private aviation.
Car share websites such as BlaBlaCar are commonly used among Freiburg residents, since they are considered relatively safe.
The investment in transport has resulted in a large increase in both cycle, pedestrian and public transport usage with projections of car journeys accounting for 29% of journey times.
Sports
The Freiburger FC won the 1907 German football championship. Afterwards, the city experienced a 115-year drought where no sports team won a national championship again. In 2022, the drought was finally ended by the Eisvögel USC Freiburg who won the 1. Damen-Basketball-Bundesliga title.
Freiburg is home to football teams SC Freiburg, which plays at the Europa-Park Stadion and is represented in the 1. or 2. Bundesliga since 1978, and Freiburger FC. In 2016, SC Freiburg got promoted to the highest league for the fifth time in its club history. The club became generally known in Germany for its steady staffing policy. Achim Stocker was president of the club from 1972 until his death in 2009. Longtime coach was Volker Finke (1991–2007), to whose initiative the football school of the club goes back. In 2004, SC Freiburg celebrated its 100th anniversary. Since December 2011, the coach is Christian Streich. The women's team of SC Freiburg plays in the first Women's Bundesliga.
Freiburg is represented in the first women's basketball league by the Eisvögel (Kingfisher) USC Freiburg. In the season 2005/2006, the Kingfishers took second place after the end of the second round, in the season 2006/2007 it was the fourth place. The men's team of the USC played in the 2009/10 season in the ProA (2nd Bundesliga). The Freiburg men's team played their last first-division season in 1998/1999. Currently, season 2018/19, the men's team plays in the Oberliga and the women's team in the regional league.
Freiburg also has the EHC Freiburg ice hockey team, which plays at the Franz-Siegel Halle. In the season 2003/2004 the EHC Freiburg (the wolves) played in the DEL, the highest German ice hockey league. Currently, season 2018/19, they play in the second league (DEL2).
Additionally, there is the RC Freiburg Rugby union team, which competes in the second Bundesliga South (Baden Württemberg). The home ground of the club, the only rugby sports field in the wider area, is located in March-Hugstetten.
Then, there is the volleyball men's team of the FT 1844 Freiburg, which plays in the second Bundesliga since 2001 and the handball women's team of the HSG Freiburg, which plays in the 3rd Women's Handball League.
Culture
Art and museums
The association Kunst in Freiburg is an association of galleries and exhibition spaces in Freiburg. They organize joint exhibition projects such as the annual art night nocturne.
The Biennial for Freiburg, which is organized by the association Perspektiven für Kunst in Freiburg e.V., has been taking place since 2021.
Founded in 1827, the Kunstverein Freiburg is one of the oldest in Germany. In the building of the former Marienbad, the Kunstverein presents current trends and, above all, young positions in contemporary art at an international level.
The Augustiner Museum presents its collection of art from the Middle Ages to the Baroque as well as 19th century paintings.
The Museum of Contemporary Art is a forum for social debates, commonly discussing art and the public. Exhibitions reflect elementary themes of our time. From the collection of 20th and 21st century works, a selection of classical modernism is displayed.
Colombischlössle Archaeological Museum: The neo-Gothic palace houses precious finds from the Stone Age to the early Middle Ages. The Alamanni treasure chamber displays jewelry and magnificent weapons from Alamanni graves.
Museum of Nature and Man: With its collections on natural history and ethnology, the museum is dedicated to the diversity and uniqueness of natural and cultural environments. It is an entertaining and educational place for the whole family.
Museum of City History: Treasures from 900 years of the city's history can be seen in the late baroque house of the artist Johann Christian Wentzinger.
Documentation Center for National Socialism Freiburg: Built in 1936, the former public transport office on Rotteckring will be home to the National Socialist Documentation Center by 2025, providing information about the National Socialist era in Freiburg.
Press
Badische Zeitung is the main local daily paper, covering the Black Forest region.
Twin towns – sister cities
Freiburg im Breisgau is twinned with:
Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's controversial comments, which included questioning the dimension of the Holocaust, have sparked discussions concerning Freiburg's relationship with Isfahan. Immediately following the comments, Freiburg mayor Salomon postponed a trip to Isfahan, but most people involved, especially those in the Alliance '90/The Greens party, were opposed to cancelling the relationship.
Symbols
The city's coat of arms is Argent a cross Gules, the St George's Cross. Saint George is the city's patron saint. The cross also appears on the city's flag, which dates from about 1368, and is identical to that of England, which has the same patron.
The city also has a seal that can be seen in a few places in the inner city. It is a stylised depiction of the façade of the Wasserschlössle, a castle-like waterworks facility built into a hill that overlooks the residential district of Wiehre. The seal depicts a three-towered red castle on a white background, with green-clad trumpeters atop the two outer towers. Beneath the castle is a gold fleur-de-lis.
Notable people
Pre-18th century
Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam (1466–1536), Dutch Renaissance humanist and theologian
Berthold Schwarz (c. 1310–1388), fabled alchemist who introduced gunpowder to Germany
Martin Waldseemüller (c.1470–1520), Renaissance cartographer
18th century
Joseph von Auffenberg (1798–1857), playwright and poet
Aloysius Bellecius (1704–1757), Jesuit ascetic author
Jean-Henri Naderman (1734–1799), leading harp-maker and a music publisher
Johann Nepomuk Locherer (1773–1837), Roman Catholic priest, theologian and professor
Karl von Rotteck (1775–1840), political activist, historian, politician and political scientist
Heinrich Schreiber (1793–1872), Catholic theologian and historian, wrote about Freiburg
19th century
Sepp Allgeier (1895–1968), cinematographer, worked with Leni Riefenstahl
Kurt Bauch (1897–1975), art historian
Walter Benjamin (1892–1940), literary critic and philosopher
Alfred Döblin (1878–1957), physician and novelist
Barney Dreyfuss (1865–1932), baseball entrepreneur, co-founder of the Major League Baseball World Series
Walter Eucken (1891–1950), economist of the Freiburg school and father of ordoliberalism
Arnold Fanck (1889–1974), film director and pioneer of the mountain film genre
Eugen Fischer (1874–1967), physician who influenced Nazi racial hygiene
Adolf Furtwangler (1853–1907), archaeologist, teacher, art historian and museum director.
Max von Gallwitz (1852–1937), general and politician
Friedrich Gempp (1873–1947), Major General, founder and first director of the Department Defence of Reichswehr
Hans F. K. Günther (1891–1968), Nazi eugenicist
Friedrich von Hayek (1899–1992), economist, philosopher, Nobel Prize laureate in economics
Martin Heidegger (1889–1976), philosopher
Edmund Husserl (1859–1938), philosopher who established the school of phenomenology
20th century
Wolfram Aichele (1924–2016), artist
Hannah Arendt (1906–1975), political theorist
Jürgen Aschoff (1913–1998), physician, biologist and behavioral physiologist, co-founded chronobiology
Hans Bender (1907–1991), lecturer on parapsychology
Nikolaus Brender (born 1949), journalist
Johannes Boesiger (born 1962), scriptwriter and producer
Alexander Bonde (born 1975) in the Bundestag for Alliance '90/The Greens 2002 to 2011
Borwin, Duke of Mecklenburg (born 1956), head of the House of Mecklenburg
Stephan Burger (born 1962), Roman Catholic clergyman, Archbishop of Freiburg since 2014
Hoimar von Ditfurth (1921–1989), physician
Mohamed Dräger (born 1996), German-Tunisian professional footballer
Peter Dreher (1932-2020), painter
Martin Egel (born 1944), bass-baritone in opera and concert
Hedy Epstein (1924–2016), Holocaust refugee and political activist
Anna Ewers (born 1993), fashion model from Freiburg
Georg Gädker (born 1981), operatic baritone