Freiburg

:This article is about Freiburg in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. There is also a village named Freiburg (Elbe) in northwestern Germany. Freiburg (Freiburg im Üechtland) is also the German name of the town of Fribourg, Switzerland. Freiburg is frequently confused with Freiberg

History

Freiburg was founded in the 12th century. In the mid-14th century Freiburg bought its liberty from a local count, and turned itself over to the protection of the Habsburgs, who allowed it to retain a large amount of freedom. Around 1200 the city began construction of its Minster (Münster or Muenster in German) on the site of an older parish church. The end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Renaissance was a time of both advances and tragedy for Freiburg.

Related Topics:
12th century - 14th century - Habsburgs - Minster - Middle Ages - Renaissance

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In 1457 Duke Albrecht VI established Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, one of Germany's oldest universities.In 1520, the city undertook a set of legal reforms, widely known as the most progressive of the times. They attempted to create a balance between the old city traditions and old Roman Law. The reforms receive extensive acceptance, especially the sections dealing with civil process law, punishment and the city's constitution. Also in 1520, Freiburg decided against joining the Reformation and became an important center for Catholicism on the Upper Rhine.

Related Topics:
Albert-Ludwigs-Universität - Reformation - Catholicism - Upper Rhine

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In 1536, a strong and persistent belief in witchcraft lead to the city's first witchhunt. The need to find a reason for tragedies such as the Black Plague, which claimed 2000 area residents in 1564, lead to an escalation in witch hunting until it reached its peak in 1599.

Related Topics:
Witchcraft - Witchhunt - Black Plague

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The 17th, 18th and 19th centuries were turbulent times for Freiburg. Through battles in the Thirty Years War and other conflicts, the city belonged at various times to the Austrians, the French, the Swedish, the Spanish and various members of the German Confederacy.

Related Topics:
17th - 18th - 19th centuries - Thirty Years War - Austrians - French - Swedish - Spanish - German Confederacy

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The city was heavily bombed during World War II. In 1940 German planes mistakenly dropped approximately 60 bombs on Freiburg near the train station. An Allied bombing of the city in November 1944 extinguished big parts of the city. Most of city centre was leveled, with the notable exception of the Münster. After the war, the city was rebuilt on its medieval plan. It became for a short time the site of government for the German state Badenia, which was merged into Baden-Württemberg soon after. It was occupied by the French Army, in 1945 They maintained a presence in the city until 1991, when the last tank division left the city.

Related Topics:
World War II - 1940 - Badenia - Baden-Württemberg - French Army - 1945 - 1991

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On the site of the former French army base, a new neighborhood of 5,000 people, Vauban, was begun in the late 1990s as a "sustainable model district". Solar power is used to power many of the households in this small community.

Related Topics:
Vauban - 1990s

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