Freiburg Old Town: Medieval Gates, Cathedral & Historic Squares

Start your tour at the Siegesdenkmal (the Victory Monument) designed by the sculptor Karl Friedrich Moest, which is dedicated to the German army and marks Germany’s victory over France in the Franco-Prussian war of 1871. A public competition was organized amongst 18 sculptors to select the design for the statue.

You will walk by the Haus zum Walfisch (the Whale house), a Gothic bourgeois house which is a complex made out of 17 buildings. The building has also been the central filming location for the 1977 horror film Suspiria.

You will get to see the Altes Rathaus (the old town hall), the building which houses the office of the government. A bridge connects both the old town hall as well as the new town hall. The building structure is built in Renaissance style and boasts of many paintings. The old town hall was destroyed by fire during bombing in 1944 and was reconstructed with the addition of three new wings.

Located behind the old town hall, you will see the Gerichtslaube (the Old Court house) which is one of the oldest government buildings in Freiburg. The building dates back to around the 13th or 14th century.

Get to see the old university which opened during 1457 and is said to have been run from many buildings. The previous administration building is now known as the new town hall. A few research departments at the site of the old university still exist till date.

You will admire the Romanesque style cathedral built around the year 1200 by the last duke of Zähringen. It survived the bombing raids of 1944. It is said that the construction took nearly 300 years to complete and is a product of imagination of several builders who themselves were never able to see it complete. The cathedral has two important altars, the Hans Baldung and the altar of Hans Holbein the Younger.

You will see the historic monument known as Bertold's Fountain with its equestrian statue. The original fish fountain was destroyed during World War II. It is a very central location where trolley car lines intersect with the shopping street known as Kaiser-Joseph-Strasse.

Walk across the Martinstor (The Martin’s gate) which dates back to the 13th century, one of the two remaining gates out of the five medieval gates.

Visit the Saint Martin’s church which is said to have undergone architectural changes varying from baroque to neo-gothic style. It dates back to 1206. The church was partially destroyed during the 1944 bombings and was reconstructed starting from 1949.

Built by merging four medieval Dominican convents, you will see the Adelhauser New Convent. The four convents used to be centers of Christian mysticism during the Middle Ages. The new building was constructed under the direction of Jean La Douze during 1687.

Finish your tour at the Schwabentor (The Swabian gate) which dates back to the mid 13th century. It is one of the two remaining gates out of the five medieval gates.