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Other Comments: 0 May 15, 2017

Freiburg, the sunny Black Forest metropolis, the 'capital of the Black Forest', lies in the tripoint to France and Switzerland. With more than 200 000 inhabitants, Freiburg offers a variety of cultural activities, various theaters, concerts, museums and historic buildings. The Black Forest is nevertheless directly in front of the door, that is, with a cable car ride to the Freiburger Hausberg, Schauinsland, you are already there. Freiburg offers its visitors a diverse range of activities and, at the same time, its typical charm and geographic location. The city is very student-oriented due to the large and first-class university. Freiburg's Old Town attracts many visitors. Every year about 3 million tourists come here to witness the beauty of the fourth largest city in Baden-Württemberg.

Surrounded by tree-topped hills, Freiburg is considered the gateway to the southern Black Forest. The 1,284-meter Schauinsland, a mountain with stunning views across the region, lies within the city's boundaries, its numerous small streams still flowing through the streets of the Old Town. It's a beautiful city to explore on foot, especially if starting along Kaiser-Joseph-Strasse, which divides the old town into an eastern half, with the Minster, and a western half with the Town Hall and University. On the south side stands the old St. Martin's Gate (Martinstor), and a short walk away, in Minster Square, are numerous well-preserved old buildings including the red Merchants' Hall (Kaufhaus) dating from 1532. Other highlights of the old town include the 13th-century Swabian Gate with its wall paintings and dioramas; the Rathausplatz with its statue of Berthold Schwarz, a Franciscan friar said to have invented gunpowder in 1359; the Gothic St. Martin's Church, with a beautifully restored interior and cloister; and the lovely House of the Whale (Haus zum Walfisch), a Late Gothic house built in 1516 as a residence for Emperor Maximilian.

The most important building in the city by far is the Freiburg Cathedral. The tower is the only one of a German cathedrals that was completed in the Middle Ages. It is commonly referred to as the "most beautiful tower of Christianity" in the city. With its height of 116 meters it surpasses the otherwise relatively flat-built Freiburg’s Old Town.

Merchant’s Hall (Kaufhaus): Between 1520 and 1532, Lienhart Müller built the department store at the Münsterplatz for the municipal market administration. The coats of arms and the figurine of the main facade of Hans Sixt von Staufen represent a reverence to the House of Habsburg. The balcony was not added until 1550 by stonemason  Jörg Sorger.

St. Martin’s gate (Martinstor): St. Martin’s Gate is one of the most recognizable buildings in Freiburg im Breisgau. Built in 1202, it served as one of the gates into the historic city center. In 1599, Martinstor was the site of Freiburg’s witch burnings during the medieval witch hunt. Today, there is a plague to commemorate three women who were burned there.For 250 years, a painting of St. Martin of Tours (France) existed on the side facing the city center. It was removed in 1968 to make way for a new painting. Unfortunately, the city has so far been unable to decide what to put in its place, so the wall remains blank. The Martinstor was originally much smaller than it is today. Around 1900, the city’s population was growing and the infrastructure needed to change. The city considered demolishing the Martinstor, but decided against it. Instead, it was enlarged. After tripling the height of the building, a green, gothic-style roof was added. Additionally, a second throughway was built so that the gate could accommodate two-way traffic.

Minster Market (Münstermarkt): Colorful hustle and bustle prevails every day on the Minster market around Freiburg's landmark, Freiburg Minster. Fresh fruit, vegetables, flowers and the legendary "Lange Rote" attract numerous people. On the north side of the Minster Market there are numerous stalls of peasants from the Dreisamtal, Markgräflerland and the Kaiserstuhl. The quality is particularly important here, for which the wide range of organic vegetables and the exact information of the farmers are famous. On the south side of the Minster you can find original pottery and woodwork, exotic fruits, pickled antipasti and fragrant spices.

Cannon Square (Kanonenplatz): The Cannon Square on the Schloßberg, directly over Freiburg's Old Town, offers an excellent view over Freiburg and its surroundings. After a short, steep ascent you reach the Cannon Square, where in the summer boules players meet and tourists enjoy the view. From there, various hiking trails start over the Schlossberg. The nearby Schloßberg Tower offers visitors a complete panoramic view.

Visitors can enjoy the cosmopolitan character at one of the many festivals, such as the Filmforum, with its focus on ethnographic films and the Zeltmusik Festival, where the Weltmusik division plays an important role. Musically, Freiburg offers many small events ranging from classical music to jazz, which plays a special role in the city.