Thesaurus

The city of Freiburg im Breisgau is situated in the state of Baden-Württemberg on the slopes of the Black Forest where the Dreisam River flows into the Rhein Valley. It was founded by dukes of Zähringen as a free market town in the 12th century. It was ruled by the counts of Urach from 1218, by the Hapsburgs from 1368, then by Baden from 1805. It was badly damaged in World War II, but has been largely restored. It is famous for its beautiful historic architecture, particularly the medieval old town centered around the Gothic Münster, begun in the 13th century and famous for its richly decorated spire and the possession of four pipe organs. Other notable buildings are the 16th-century town hall and the Schwabentor, a large clock tower standing at the old town gate. The 2004 population estimate was 211,900.