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Germany City Travel Guide: Freiburg

Freiburg

• Located in Baden-Württemberg, south western Germany
• Close to Stuttgart and gateway to the southern Black Forest
• Population of 208,000 people
• Picturesque and romantic university town
• Historic center going back to medieval times
• Within easy reach of the Rhine Valley, France and Switzerland
• Home of a magnificent sandstone Münster (Cathedral)

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Freiburg, also known as "Freiburg im Breisgau" is along with Heidelberg and Tübingen, one of southern Germany's most famous university towns.

Freiburg's most famous landmark, however, is its cathedral - Münster. Begun as a Romanesque burial church for local aristocrats around 1200, the magnificent cathedral was completed in the French gothic style in 1260. Climb the 116m spire for a stunning view of the surrounding countryside.

The Münsterplatz (Cathedral Square) contains the sixteenth century Kaufhaus (Merchants' Hall), the baroque palaces of the Haus zum Zitter and the Wentzingerhaus (the residence of the eighteenth century sculptor Christian Wentzinger) and the pretty Georgsbrunnen and Fischbrunnen fountains. The square is still used for markets to this day.

Other places of interest to the south of the Münsterplatz area include the Museum für Neue Kunst (Museum of Modern Art, Marienstrasse, 10) and two surviving ancient city gates: the Schwabentor and Martinstor.

Moving generally west of the Münsterplatz is the lively university quarter and another series of historic sights: the Bertholdsbrunnen fountain, the chestnut-tree lined Rathausplatz (City Hall Square), containing the Neues Rathaus and Altes Rathaus - both formed from the fusion of old Renaissance-style houses and the late-gothic Haus zum Walfisch (House of the Whale), where Desiderius Erasmus lived for a while.

Further west still, near the tourist office is the Museum für Ur- und Frühgeschichte (Museum of Pre- & Early History, Rotteckring, 5) housed in a nineteenth century villa built for a Spanish countess.

Look out for Freiburg's famed street mosaics often found outside shops to denote their function and the Bächle - tiny canals that run along the streets to drain excess water and prevent fire.

The presence of the university ensures that Freiburg has a wide selection of good places to eat and drink the night away.

Around Freiburg

30 km north of Freiburg is Europa Park a theme park with a variety of roller coaster rides, including the Silver Star, supposedly Europe's longest. Famous buildings from throughout Europe have been recreated on site. There are buses #7200 from Freiburg bus station to the park. The nearest German airports are in Baden-Baden and Stuttgart.

Freiburg Tourist Office

Rotteckring, 14
Tel: 0761 388 1880
www.freiburg.de

Getting to Freiburg

Air

Stuttgart's Echterdingen Airport (tel. 0711 9483388), Zurich and Strasbourg are the nearest international airports. Stuttgart airport is served by several European airways including British Airways (BA), Air France and KLM.

Train

Freiburg has quick rail connections to Basel, Baden-Baden and connects to Stuttgart in around 2 hours 45 minutes. There is also a train to the historic fortress town of Breisach (about 30 minutes).

Bus/Road

Freiburg connects by autobahn with Baden-Baden (A-5) to the north and Basel and Zurich (A-3) to the south. The bus and train stations are close to each other on Bismarckallee, only a short walk from the Münster.

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Accommodation

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Eating

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Local football teams

SC (Sport Club) Freiburg, formed from the merger of smaller clubs in 1912, is a small-town, yo-yo team in the German Bundesliga, finding it difficult to compete with the bigger teams in the league. The club plays its home games at the 25,000 capacity Das Badenova-Stadion.

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