Freiburg im Breisgau

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Freiburg im Breisgau" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (October 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Freiburg im Breisgau Friburg im Brisgau (Alemannic)
City
Freiburg Minster Swabian Gate Minster Square Bächle Minster Martyrs' Window Herz-Jesu-Kirche Schauinslandbahn Schauinsland Historical Merchants' Hall Branches of the Dreisam in the old town
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Freiburg im Breisgau
Freiburg im Breisgau Show map of Germany Freiburg im Breisgau Show map of Baden-Württemberg
Coordinates: 47°59′42″N 07°51′00″E / 47.99500°N 7.85000°E / 47.99500; 7.85000
Country	Germany
State	Baden-Württemberg
Admin. region	Freiburg
District	Stadtkreis
Subdivisions	41 districts
Government
• Lord mayor (2018–26)	Martin Horn[1] (Ind.)
Area
• City	153.07 km2 (59.10 sq mi)
Elevation	278 m (912 ft)
Population  (2022-12-31)[2]
• City	236,140
• Density	1,500/km2 (4,000/sq mi)
• Urban	354,500
• Metro	656,753 Oberrhein
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	79098–79117
Dialling codes	0761, 07664, 07665
Vehicle registration	FR
Website	www.freiburg.de

Freiburg im Breisgau (German: [ˈfʁaɪbʊʁk ʔɪm ˈbʁaɪsɡaʊ] ^ⓘ; Alemannic: Friburg im Brisgau; French: Fribourg-en-Brisgau; lit. Freecastle in the^[a] Breisgau; mostly called simply Freiburg) is the fourth-largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, Mannheim and Karlsruhe. With around 236,000 inhabitants, it is Germany's 33rd-largest city. Its built-up area has a population of about 355,000 (2021)^[3] while the greater Freiburg metropolitan area ("Einzugsgebiet") has about 660,000 (2018).^[4]

Freiburg is located at the southwestern foothills of the Black Forest, on the Dreisam River, a tributary of the Rhine. It is Germany's southwestern- and southernmost city with a population exceeding 100,000. It lies in the Breisgau, one of Germany's warmest regions, in the south of the Upper Rhine Plain. Its city limits reach from the Schauinsland summit (1,284 metres (4,213 ft)) in the Black Forest to 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) east of the French border, while Switzerland is 42 kilometres (26 mi) to the south. The city is situated in the major wine-growing region of Baden and, together with Offenburg, serves as a tourist entry-point to the scenic Black Forest. According to meteorological statistics, Freiburg held the all-time German temperature record of 40.2 °C (104.4 °F) from 2003 to 2015.^[5][6]

An old university town and archiepiscopal seat, it was incorporated in the early 12th century and soon became a commercial, intellectual and ecclesiastical center for the Upper Rhine region. The University of Freiburg (Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg), founded in 1457, is one of Germany's oldest universities. Freiburg's main landmark is the Freiburg Minster (Freiburger Münster), which was built between c. 1200 and 1513 and has been described as "Gothic architectural masterpiece".

The old town is traversed by an extensive system of runnels called Bächle (lit. small streams), that are fed with water from the Dreisam and run on the side and sometimes in the middle of almost all streets and alleys, giving the city a unique touch. Freiburg has a high standard of living, and is known for its advanced environmental practices, which is embodied by projects like the creation of the sustainable district of Vauban.

Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).