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Freiburg im Breisgau is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, in the Breisgau region, on the western edge of the southern Black Forest with about 200,000 inhabitants. It is situated at 47°59'43" north, 7°51'11" east. Popular opinion has it that Freiburg is the warmest, sunniest city in Germany. It straddles the Dreisam river, on the foothills of the Schlossberg. The city is surrounded by the Black Forest mountains Rosskopf and Bromberg in the east, and in the south and west by the Schönberg, Tuniberg and the Kaiserstuhl.
Freiburg was founded in the 12th century. In the mid- 14th century Freiburg bought its liberty from a local count, and turned itself over to the protection of the Habsburgs, who allowed it to retain a large amount of freedom. Around 1200 the city began construction of its Münster on the site of an older parish church. The end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Renaissance was a time of both advances and tragedy for Freiburg.
In 1457 Duke Albrecht VI established Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, one of Germany's oldest universities.In 1520, the city undertook a set of legal reforms, widely known as the most progressive of the times. They attempted to create a balance between the old city traditions and old Roman Law. The reforms receive extensive acceptance, especially the sections dealing with to civil process law, punishment and the city's constitution. Also in 1520, Freiburg decided against joining the Reformation and became an important center for Catholicism on the Upper Rhine.
In 1536, a strong and persistent belief in witchcraft lead to the city's first witchhunt. The need to find a reason for tragedies such as the Black Plague, which claimed 2000 area residents in 1564, lead to an escalation in witch hunting until it reached its peak in 1599.
The 17th16th century 17th century 18th century more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601- 1700. During this period, the power of England and the United Provinces increased; while that of, 18th17th century 18th century 19th century more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701- 1800; however, historians will sometimes specifically refer to the 18th Century as 1715- 89, and 19th centuriesAlternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical ( 18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801- 1900. Events The Little Ice Age ended were turbulent times for Freiburg. Through battles in the Thirty Years War and other conflicts, the city belonged at various times to the Austrians, the FrenchThe French Republic or France ( French: Republique francaise or France is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in western Europe, and which is further made up of a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents., the Swedish, the Spanish and various members of the German Confederacy. The city was heavily bombed during World War II. In 1940 German planes mistakenly dropped approximately 60 bombs on Freiburg near the train station. An Allied bombing of the city in 1944 damaged it further. Most of Freiburg's city centre was leveled, with the notable exception of the Münster. After the war, the city was rebuilt on its medieval plan. It became for a short time the site of government for the German state Badenia, which was merged into Baden-Württemberg soon after. It was occupied by the French Army, in 1945 They maintained a presence in the city until 1991, when the last tank division left the city.
On the site of the former French army base, a new carfree neighborhood of 5,000 people, Vauban, was begun in the late 1990s as a "sustainable model district".