Fifth episode of our travel story in Central Europe in August 2022. We are in Germany and we are talking about Freiburg, or, to be complete, Freiburg im Breisgau. Freiburg is a city of more than 200,000 inhabitants, including the 30,000 students of the Albertina University, whose presence influences the cultural and social life of the city; there is in fact a large number of public places, theaters, cinemas which together with the many monuments make it one of the most visited tourist destinations in Germany. The origins of the city date back to the 12th century and its history in the following centuries crosses that of Germany, France and Austria. During the Second World War the city suffered significant damage, on November 27, 1944 a heavy bombing leveled the entire northern part of the old city and a large part of the western one. The city was subsequently rebuilt respecting the original plan even if only public buildings or buildings of particular historical value were faithfully reconstructed. The most important monument of Freiburg is undoubtedly the Cathedral (Munster), built in the Gothic style over 350 years from 1200 to the middle of the 16th century. Let's take a look at the images of the Cathedral, with particular attention to the gargoyles for the disposal of rainwater, made of bizarre and grotesque sculptures:
As you can see in some of the previous photos, the picturesque fruit and flower market has been held around the cathedral on Munsterplatz since the 16th century. In the same square there has been the Historical Department Store (Historisches Kaufhaus) since 1532, built by the municipal administration of the market for the handling and customs clearance of goods. The building impresses with its architectural jewels and dark red tint:
Let's now take a walk through the streets of Freiburg and start from this photo, in which on the right you can see the canal that acts as a stream with the water diverted from the Dreisam river, according to a custom dating back to past centuries; unfortunately in August 2022 the river was too dry to feed the streams:
In conclusion, we can say that Freiburg is also a beautiful city and well disposed towards those who have our problems; the cobblestones are well cared for, only a few slopes can create difficulties. Thanks to the organization of the tour operator Movimondo, with the excellent companions Tania, Emanuele and Mauro, all practical problems have been solved; a thought also goes to the Strabordo Association, to which all tour participants refer.
Until next time!!