Freiburg 2021

Starting a new Chapter in Freiburg

  2021 - A year for a new adventure and for starting a new chapter. After I got accepted for a new job in Freiburg in the Southwest of Germany, I had to move from Göttingen in April. On the one side, I was sad to finally leave Göttingen, on the other side, I was happy, that I could move to Freiburg, a beautiful city, I visited in December 2014 for the first time. When I first went to Freiburg, I had the feeling, that one day, I'll come back. 

  On my first weekend in my new home town, I decided to explore the sightseeing places, starting with the Minster Market on the Minster Square in the heart of the Old Town. I walked around the market by eating a traditional sausage called "Lange Rote". I also bought an original "Stefans Cheese Cake", which is definitely a suggestion to eat while being in Freiburg. There were also a lot of booths selling Black Forest products like honey, ham or wooden handicraft.

  But it was not only the market, which was amazing. The Freiburg Minster itself with its Gothic-Romanesque architecture style was quite impressive. On this first weekend in April, it wasn't allowed to go inside due to restoration work, but since summer, it was allowed again and I also could visit the interior of the cathedral. Another highlights on the Minster Square are the Historical Merchants' Hall with its dominant red facade on the south side of the square, the Wentzinger House, one of the few artists' houses from the late Baroque era that has been preserved in its original state, or the Old Guard, the former main guard of the Upper Austrian administration, built in 1733. 

  In Freiburg, there are two remaining city gates of the medieval defensive wall, the more recent Swabian Gate, built in 1250, and the Martin's Gate - former known as "Norsinger Tor" during medieval times - built around 1202. Inside the western part of the arch of the Martin's Gate, which was built in 1901, a big sign of McDonald's is noticeable, but the city council of Freiburg could prevent the prominent red and yellow of the same in favor of a more decent coloring. Close to the Martin's Gate, it's possible to find worldwide - especially Asian - but also Baden culinary food at the inside market hall.

  One of the main meeting points in the city centre is the Bertold's Fountain, a monument situated at the crossing of the Salz- and Bertoldsstraße with the Kaiser-Joseph-Straße, where four of the five tramways stop. The fountain was built as symbol for the grand duke Karl Friedrich of Baden, the worship of duke Berthold III - the founder of Freiburg - Konrad I - who built the Freiburg Minster - and Albert of Austria, the donor of the Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg.    

  By following the street from the Bertold's Fountain in the direction of the train station, there are two interesting buildings, the new University Library Freiburg and the Stadttheater. As part of the innovative light, energy and air conditioning concept, the building of the library was given a new transparent facade made of metal and glass, which gives a special appearence to the building. The Freiburg Theatre unites four venues under one roof - the Großes Haus (main stage), the Kleines haus (small stage), the Kammerbühne (chamber stage) and the Werkraum (workshop) - and is the oldest and biggest theatre in the city.

  The last important tourist attraction, I'd like to introduce, is the Freiburger Bächle, a man-made watercourses fed with water from the Dreisam river, which can be found in the most of the streets and alleys of the old town. According to a legend from Baden, anyone, who unintentionally steps into one of the brooks when visiting Freiburg, will marry a native of Freiburg in the future.           

  Beautiful places can be also found outside of the city centre. When I first came to Freiburg for my job interview in March, I was really surprised by watching the first cherry blossoms of the season in the district of Zähringen. I also had time to visit the Wasserschlössle, situated above the Wiehre district in the Sternwald. The system was built between 1895 and 1896 and serves to supply the city with drinking water. The castle-like facade made of sandstone blocks and cast stone was intended to express the appreciation for drinking water. Moreover, the Wasserschlössle can also be found down in the city - it adorns all the manhole covers in the old town as well as the chain of office of the mayor.   

  In generally, Freiburg is a green city with many parks and many possibilities to escape from the city life. On a sunny day, I made a little walk up to the Schlossberg, a tree-covered hill of 456 metres, where it was possible to go up to an observation tower. The panoramic view over the city of Freiburg and the Black Forest with its snowy mountains was breathtaking. The Burghaldering, which circles the hill at half height, also offers a great view over the whole city, especially from the Kanonenplatz. Another possibility for hanging out on a sunny day is the Dreisam river - for example with a beer. But the best location is the "Cafe Extrablatt" After having a coffee or tea with friends, it's always nice to do a promenade along the river and enjoy the calm atmosphere outside the city centre. 

  Close to my flat in Freiburg-Betzenhausen, I have two amazing parks - the Seepark and the Dietenbachpark. The first time, I traversed the Dietenbachpark was on my way to the "Blockhaus" bouldering hall. I decided, that it's a good idea to explore the whole park on a weekend and I really liked the little lake, where it's also possible to go swimming. At the beginning of the park, I could also find a beautiful garden area with sunflowers, but also with cultivated vegetables. The Seepark, on the other hand, is much closer to my home, so I often go out for a walk or a jog there after work. The park, covering 35 hectares, was once constructed for the Landesgartenschau in 1986 and contains the Flückigersee, an artificial lake, the 15 metre tall Seepark Tower, from where it's possible to look around the park area and a sundial. One of the highlights is also the Japanese garden at the west end of the park. I'm really looking forward to visit this garden during the cherry blossom season in 2022. 

  Even if there are many opportunities to enjoy the nature in Freiburg, sometimes it's even better to take some time to enjoy hiking adventures. The best and easiest way for hiking is the local mountain of Freiburg, the Schauinsland with an elevation of 1284 metres. The Schauinsland - which literally means "look-into-the-country" is one of the most popular day trip destinations. In May, when I rented a car on a weekend, I went there for the first time during a sunny saturday morning. I was quite surprised because of the snow at the edges of the forest, although it wasn't cold. After a 15 minutes walk from the parking area, I reached the Eugen-Keidel Tower, a 31-metre-high observation tower, from where I enjoyed a lovely view over the Black Forest, the Alps and the Vosges, but also over Freiburg and the surrounding cities and villages. Arround the observation tower, there are many hiking trails, but also a wide green meadow to relax.  

  In November, my best friend came to visit me in Freiburg for a long weekend trip. Unfortunately, we didn't have luck with the weather during these days. At first, we explored the city of Freiburg, skipping the Schlossberg pathway, because of the fog and the rainy weather. But for another day, we decided to see the Schauinsland mountain. Since I didn't have a car at this time, we first took the tram 2 til the final stop "Lorettostraße" and then changed into the bus 21 to "Horben Talstation". We took the Schauinslandbahn, a gondola lift with its upper station near the summit of the Schauinsland mountain. At 3.6 kilometres in length, the line is reportedly the longest gondola lift in Germany and after 20 minutes, we arrived at the "Bergstation". The most fascinating thing, except of the mystical view around the landscape with some islands in the fog, was the weather itself. When we started in Freiburg, it was cold and rainy and on top of the mountain, it felt like spring with its almost 15 °C and the wonderful sunshine. After we stocked up on some vitamin D by walking around, we came back to the Bergstation and took a break in the restaurant, eating a piece of the famous Black Forest Cake, before taking the Schauinslandbahn back to Horben.  

  May was a great month for hiking this year. Since I'm a really curious person, I directly wanted to explore not only the city of Freiburg, I also wanted to see the surroundings of the Black Forest and the Kaiserstuhl. I used the App "komoot" and found a hiking route called "Panoramablick Runde von Oberrotweil". So, I went to Oberrotweil at the beginning of May and I didn't regret it. Starting at the train station, I directly followed the way to the vineyards. After a steep uphill section, I reached the Mondhalde, which is called one of the most beautiful vantage point of the Kaiserstuhl. From here, I enjoyed the view to the Vosges and to the foothills of the Kaiserstuhl with its vineyard terraces and high embankments, which characterise the landscape. From the Mondhalde Pavilion, I followed parts of the "Texaspass" and the "Smaragdeidechsenpfad" until I came back to Oberrotweil.

  At the end of May, I decided to go hiking again. When I started in Freiburg, it was around 25 °C outside, so I thought, it was a good idea to wear short trousers and a shirt - something I'd regret later. I took the S1 to Feldberg-Bärental, with a height of 967 metres above sea level the highest train station in Germany of the Deutsche Bahn, and then joined a bus to the start of the hiking pathway. Then, I started to hike and it didn't take long and I noticed the cold and windy weather. People came towards me with winter jackets, beanies and gloves and were surprised, seeing me in my summer clothes. Luckily, I had a hoodie in my backpack, which helped at least a bit against the cold. Nevertheless, in the face of adversity I went up to the Feldberg mountain, with a height of 1493 metres the highest mountain in Germany outside of the Alps. Before I reached the summit of the Feldberg with the Feldberg Tower, I arrived at the Bismarck Monument on top of the Seebuck mountain. The mountain rises immediately southeast of the Feldberg, of which it is sometimes considered a part because both mountains are part of the same ridge, only separated by a shallow depression called the "Grüble" or "Feldbergsattel". I really loved the panoramic views of the Black Forest mountain area, especially the view with the Feldsee lake was breathtaking. Since it was really cold, I decided to go a shorter hiking route, but therefore, I added a pathway down to the Feldsee. I took the "Rock Path", a steeply pathway, which runs from the summit area of the Seebuck down to the lake. I walked around the lake and after finding a place with a beautiful view, I took a picnic break, before turning back to the bus station. At the end, it was a fabulous hiking adventure.