Culture and Society

The area around Oberlinden was one of the first settled areas of the town and it`s also the closest tram station to the hostel. The deep cellars of the houses go back to Freiburg’s earliest days. Of even older origin is the street fork at the Baroque "Marienbrunnen" fountain. Here the old high road to Herdern left the trade route still called Salzstrasse after the salt from the Swabian salt towns that was transported on it. The Dukes of Zähringen incorporated this important road into their new town. Around 1200 the Schwabentor was built over it. In the 16th century this gate was decorated with a painting of a Swabian salt trader.

The Münsterplatz offers its colourful morning market. Up until 1785 the square was surrounded by a wall and in the Middle Ages it was also used as a cemetery. In 1498, a municipal granary was built on the north side of the square. This Kornhaus, also used as an abattoir, was reconstructed in 1970. A new synagogue was opened behind the City Library in 1987 to replace the one on Werthmannplatz burned down by the Nazis in 1938.

The Historisches Kaufhaus (Historic Merchants’ Hall) south of the cathedral is a symbol of the importance of trade in medieval Freiburg. The seat of the municipal market, customs and financial administration is identified as a centre of trade by its arcade hall. Built in 1520/30 its facade and oriels decorated with coats of arms and statues indicates the city’s links with the House of Habsburg. Maximilian I, his son Philipp of Burgundy and his sons, Emperor Charles V and Archduke Ferdinand I, represent the family that reigned over Freiburg for more than 400 years.

The "Alte Hauptwache" (old main police station), stands out on the east side of the square, alongside some fine houses for the cathedral canons. Today, it is the House of Baden Wine.