Freiburg im Breisgau Travel Guide

Every visitor who comes to Freiburg always heads straight to the cathedral as soon as he catches a glimpse of the open-worked pyramids of the slender tower over the rooftops of the old town. Then they will stand, astonished, in front of the most beautiful tower in Christian architecture, just as the famous historian and author from Baden, Carl Jakob Burckhardt had referred to the tower. While many churches from the middle ages were completed only in following centuries, the tower, which is 116 meters high, was already completed by 1330.

The tower has 16 bells, the oldest being the Hosanna bell from 1258, which weighs 3,290 kg. This bell can be heard on Thursday evening after the Angelus, on Friday at 11:00 am (a time consequently known as Spätzleglocke), on Saturday evenings, and each year on 27 November in remembrance of the air raid in 1944.

With the longest circulating cable car in Germany, you will soar 3.6 km upwards to 1,220m in 20 minutes, covering an elevation gain of almost 750 m. Enjoy the most comfortable and environmentally friendly way of climbing Freiburg's landmark mountain (1,284m) and the magnificent panoramic views of Freiburg and the Rhine valley across to the blue band of the Vosges at any time of the year. Your individual Bergwelt day of recreation or relaxation starts from the upper station. The Schauinsland cable car operates continuously as required – so one of the 37 cabins will be waiting when you want to climb aboard.

It was opened on 17 July 1930, as the first large-cabin circulating cable car in the world, and reconstructed in 1987/88 as Germany's first automatic cable car with no conductors and space for more than four people in each cabin.

Hours: October - June 9am - 5pm, July - September 9am - 6pm.

Prices: Rountrip 11.50 € Adults 10.50 €, Concessions, 7 &euro for children ages 6-14, family fares from 16.50 €.

Fortified structures had been built on the Schlossberg (roughly translated: The Castle Hill) since the 11th century. Remains of some of them are still visible today. For a few years now the board of trustees has tried to make the historical past of the Schlossberg in Freiburg more visible. To achieve this, the remains of the old, overgrown fortifications are being carefully uncovered so that they are available to interested visitors. The tower located on the hill (Schloßbergturm) from which one has a unique panoramic view over the whole town and its vicinity was built in 2002 and was a project of the board of trustees as well. Extensive hiking trails offer a panoramic view of the town and vicinity.

The top of this hill can be reached in 3 mintues via Schlossbergbahn, a funicular railway.

Hours: Daily from 9am until 10pm (Tuesdays until 6pm).

Admission: Round trip fares range from 2.50 € for Children ages 6-14 to 5 € for Adults.

Zum roten Bären (translation: to the red bear) is the oldest hotel in Germany[1]. The foundations of the hotel predate the founding of the town of Freiburg by the dukes of the House of Zähringen in 1120. The first written documentation was in the land register document of the nearby monestary from the year 1311 listing the landlord as Hanmann Bienger the elder. Many of the landlords were also court and councilmen of the city of Freiburg and often also guild masters. For some time, the guild hall of the shoemakers was located at Zum Roten Bären, as can be seen in one of the windows of Freiburg Cathedral.

Female statuettes from the Paleolithic Age, Celtic princely tombs, Roman gods, Alemanni jewelry - the Museum of Prehistory and Early results illustrate the historical periods of the Upper and Upper Rhine. Powerful testimonies offer insights into the culture, religion and everyday life.

Hours: Tuesday - Sunday 10am - 5pm.

Primarily, the museum specializes in Middle Age artifacts from the Upper Rhine region, but it also has works by Lucas Cranach and Matthias Grünewald. And nowhere else is it possible to inspect the sculptures from the Freiburg Münster as closely as in the cellar of the former cloister. Also discover tapestries, paintings and goldsmiths' work documenting medieval symbolism and faith. furniture, clocks, stoves and pottery illustrating lifestyles of the 18th century. Paintings of the 19th century and 20 Century show the Black Forest in its picturesque beauty.

Please note that the museum will be closed until the beginning of 2010 due to renovation.