The Breisgau ( German pronunciation: [ˈbʁaɪ̯sɡaʊ̯] ) is an area in southwest Germany extending along the Rhine River and enveloping portions of the Black Forest . Part of the state of Baden-Württemberg , it centers on the city of Freiburg im Breisgau . The district of Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald , which partly consists of the Breisgau, is named after the Black Forest area. Parts of the Breisgau are also situated in the political districts of Freiburg im Breisgau and Emmendingen .
57-719: Glotter is a river of in the Breisgau region in the south of Baden-Württemberg , Germany which is approximately 30 km long. The spring of this river is located at an altitude of 1040 m amsl on the eastern slope of the Kandel near Neuwelt, a suburb of St. Peter in the Black Forest . It crosses the Glotter dale (in German : Glottertal , which is also the name of a village). Near Riegel am Kaiserstuhl , it discharges into
114-772: 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. Christianity Freiburg belonged to Austria until 1805 and remained Catholic, although surrounding villages like Haslach , Opfingen, Tiengen, and
171-622: A balance between city traditions and old Roman Law . The reforms were well received, especially the sections dealing with civil process law, punishment, and the city's constitution. In 1520, Freiburg decided not to take part in the Reformation and became an important centre for Catholicism on the Upper Rhine . Erasmus moved here after Basel accepted the Reformation. In 1536, a strong and persistent belief in witchcraft led to
228-537: 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 city during a night raid. Eventually the citizens were fed up with their lords, and in 1368 Freiburg purchased its independence from them. The city turned itself over to
285-682: A city of over 100,000 people. 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: The Freiburg city council governs
342-700: 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. Judaism Jews are said to have lived in
399-545: A large portion of the city centre, with the notable exception of the Münster , which was only lightly damaged. After the war, the city was rebuilt on its medieval plan. On 22 October 1940, the Nazi Gauleiter of Baden, Robert Heinrich Wagner , ordered the deportation of all of Baden's and 350 of Freiburg's Jewish population. They were deported to Camp Gurs in the south of France, where many died. On 18 July 1942,
456-475: A meeting place. To the east of the city centre, the Schlossberg hill provides extensive views over the city and surrounding region. The castle (Schloss) from which the hill takes its name was demolished in the 1740s, and only ruins remain. Schlossberg retained its importance to the city, however, and 150 years ago the city leaders opened up walks and views to make the mountain available to the public. Today,
513-704: 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
570-540: 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,
627-469: 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
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#1732782858586684-418: 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 ,
741-634: 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 city began construction of its Freiburg Minster cathedral on
798-470: 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 and sometimes in
855-465: Is the Schauinsland (1,284 m). 47°56′N 7°49′E / 47.933°N 7.817°E / 47.933; 7.817 Freiburg Freiburg im Breisgau ( German: [ˈfʁaɪbʊʁk ʔɪm ˈbʁaɪsɡaʊ] ; Alemannic : Friburg im Brisgau ; French : Fribourg-en-Brisgau ; lit. Freecastle in the Breisgau ; mostly called simply Freiburg ) is the fourth-largest city of
912-399: 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
969-559: 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
1026-780: 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
1083-646: The Dreisam . Near Denzlingen , much of its water is diverted towards the Elz through the stream Lossele . This article related to a river in Baden-Württemberg is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Breisgau In earlier times, the Breisgau was known as Breisachgau , meaning the county around the town of Breisach on the east bank of the Rhine . The earliest historically attested inhabitants were Celts . In Roman times ,
1140-719: The Grand Duchy of Baden . The Breisgau includes the flat area around river Rhine, the foothills of the Black Forest and the western faces of the southern Black Forest mountains and the Kaiserstuhl hills. In the south, the Breisgau borders onto the Markgräflerland , in the west onto the Sundgau ( Alsace , France ), in the east onto the Black Forest , and in the north onto the Ortenau area. The climate of
1197-679: The Schlossbergbahn funicular railway connects the city centre to the hill. Other museums in the city include the Archaeology Colombischlössle Museum . 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. The Köppen climate classification classifies Freiburg's climate as temperate oceanic climate ( Köppen : Cfb ; Trewartha : Dobk ). Thus, July and August are, along with Karlsruhe ,
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#17327828585861254-513: The plague had not yet broken out in the city, Jews were accused of having spread it and taken into custody. All Jews except pregnant women were burned alive on 31 January 1349. The remaining children were forced to be baptised. This pogrom left Jews very hesitant to resettle in the city. In 1401, the city council decreed a regulation banning all Jews from Freiburg (orig. Middle High German dialect: “daz dekein Jude ze Friburg niemmerme sin sol” [27]. This
1311-712: The 13th/14th century to 1797, the area was part of the Vorlande , the area in southwest Germany ruled by the Austrian Habsburgs , but the Breisgau, along with the rest of the Vorlande, was ceded by them to the former Duke of Modena , a relative, as compensation for his loss of his hereditary lands to the French Cisalpine Republic . In 1805, by the Treaty of Pressburg , the area was ceded to
1368-563: The Breisgau is warm; in fact, it is the warmest region in Germany. The average annual temperature is 11 degrees Celsius (52 degrees Fahrenheit), the average rainfall is 900 mm (36"). The Breisgau is known for its wine and used for fruit tree orchards and grain . The biggest city by far in the Breisgau region is Freiburg . Other notable cities and towns are Bad Krozingen , Breisach , Emmendingen , Endingen , Kenzingen , Neuenburg , Staufen and Waldkirch . A prominent mountain
1425-604: 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
1482-597: 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 in Baden , 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
1539-582: The Habsburg territories in the southwest of Germany. In 1805, the city, together with the Breisgau and Ortenau areas, became part of Baden . In 1827, when the Archdiocese of Freiburg was founded, Freiburg became the seat of a Catholic archbishop. Freiburg was heavily bombed during World War II . In May 1940 , aircraft of the Luftwaffe mistakenly dropped approximately 60 bombs on Freiburg near
1596-476: 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
1653-680: 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 ,
1710-592: The area was part of the province of Germania Superior , but after the rupture of the limes Germanicus in 260, the area was settled by the Alemanni . It remained a part of Alemannia throughout the Early Middle Ages and was a buffer zone between the central Alemannic lands and Alsace , which was less strongly colonized by the Alemanni. In the mid-9th century, it was a march-like county guarding
1767-532: The beginning of the Thirty Years' War in 1618, its population numbered between 10,000 to 14,000; when it ended in 1648, only 2,000 remained. In August 1644, it was the site of the Battle of Freiburg , said to be the bloodiest battle of the war in terms of percentage of casualties. Between 1648 and 1805, when the city was not under French occupation it was the administrative headquarters of Further Austria ,
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1824-412: 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
1881-566: The city alongside the Mayor. The most recent city council election was held on 9 June 2024, and the results were as follows: 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 . Home to some of
1938-584: The city before 1230, but it was only after 1230 that they supposedly founded an official community in the Webergasse (a small street within the town center). The counts of Freiburg bought the lucrative Schutzjude , which means that all personal information on Jews living in Freiburg was directly sent to Konrad II and his co-reigning son Friedrich. The two issued a comprising letter promising safety and liberty to all local Jews on 12 October 1338. It lost all value shortly after, however, on 1 January 1349. Although
1995-476: The city's first witch-hunt . The need to find a scapegoat for calamities such as the Black Plague , which claimed 2,000 area residents (25% of the city population) in 1564, led to an escalation in witch-hunting that reached its peak in 1599. A plaque on the old city wall marks the spot where burnings were carried out. The seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries were turbulent times for Freiburg. At
2052-464: The dawn of the Renaissance was a time of both advances and tragedy for Freiburg. In 1457, Albrecht VI , Regent of Further Austria , established Albert-Ludwigs-Universität , one of Germany's oldest universities. In 1498, Emperor Maximilian I held a Reichstag in Freiburg. In 1520, the city ratified a set of legal reforms, widely considered the most progressive of the time. The aim was to find
2109-399: The following extreme values: 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
2166-674: The frontier with southern Lotharingia and Alsace. In 859, it was bestowed on Charles the Fat , the son of King Louis I , a sign of its importance. In the 10th century, the Breisgau was a county within the Duchy of Swabia , ruled by the Zähringen family. In the 12th century, they detached themselves from Swabia, establishing the Margraviate of Baden . In the Breisgau, the dukes of Zähringen founded Freiburg , which became their chief city. From
2223-679: The greatest minds of the West , including such 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 ,
2280-529: The households in this small community. Because of its scenic beauty, 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 has implemented over the past several decades. The longest cable car run in Germany, which
2337-617: The middle 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 projects like 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 . Freiburg
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2394-542: The oldest hotel in Germany, is located along Oberlinden near the Swabian Gate. The Siegesdenkmal , or victory monument, is a monument to the German victory in the Franco-Prussian War in 1871. It is situated at the northern edge of the historic city center of Freiburg and was built by Karl Friedrich Moest . In everyday language of people living in Freiburg, it serves as an orientation marker or as
2451-608: The original building and the Jewish community which perished. The pavements of Freiburg carry memorials to individual victims, in the form of brass plates outside their former residences. There was a camp for Sinti and Romani people (see Romani Holocaust ) in the city. It was occupied by the French Army on 21 April 1945, and Freiburg was soon allotted to the French Zone of Occupation . In December 1945 Freiburg became
2508-484: 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
2565-566: The protection of the Habsburgs , who allowed the city 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
2622-546: The railway station, killing 57 people, most of them civilians and including 22 children. This was reported by the official German news agency as an attack by the Western Allies, and retaliation against them was threatened. The Freiburg police commander subsequently established that the bombs were German, but the full story was not published until many years later. On 27 November 1944, a raid by more than 300 bombers of RAF Bomber Command ( Operation Tigerfish ) destroyed
2679-415: The remaining Baden and Freiburg Jews were transferred to Auschwitz in German-occupied Poland , where almost all were murdered. A living memorial has been created in the form of the 'footprint' in marble on the site of the city's original synagogue , which was burned down on 9 November 1938, during the pogrom known as Kristallnacht . The memorial is a fountain and contains a bronze plaque commemorating
2736-428: 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
2793-435: The seat of government for the German state of Baden , which was merged into Baden-Württemberg in 1952. The French Army maintained a presence in Freiburg until 1991, when the last French Army division left the city, and left Germany. On the site of the former French Army base, a new neighborhood for 5,000 people, Vauban , began in the late 1990s as a "sustainable model district". Solar power provides electricity to many of
2850-400: 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 city council did not trust the new nobles and wrote down its established rights in a document. At the end of
2907-429: 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
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#17327828585862964-418: 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 . A university city, Freiburg evolved from its focus on mining to become a cultural centre for the arts and sciences. It was also a commercial center. The end of the Middle Ages and
3021-535: The thirteenth century there was a feud between the citizens 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 city center. The furious count called on his brother-in-law the Prince-Bishopric of Strasbourg , Conrad of Lichtenberg , for help. The bishop responded by marching with his army to Freiburg. According to an old Freiburg legend,
3078-459: 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
3135-405: 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
3192-424: 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
3249-439: Was officially reaffirmed by King Sigismund with a ban for life (orig. German: “Ewige Vertreibung”) in 1424. Not until 1809 were Jews again allowed permanent residence within the city. They subsequently founded a Jewish community in 1836. At the Kristallnacht in 1938, the synagogue, built in 1870, was set afire. Numerous shops and apartments of Jewish citizens of Freiburg were devastated and plundered by National Socialists without
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