900 Years Young ISBN 978-3-9819717-4-3
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MAGAZINE FOR EXPLORERS AND LOVERS OF THE FINER THINGS IN LIFE 900 years young 978-3-9819717-4-3 ISBN EDITION 2020 2 Nominal price €3.50 Dear Readers The year 2020 marks a proud milestone for Freiburg that gives us pause to take stock of the past, consider our present and look ahead to our future. Tradition and deep historical ties may be rooted in the city’s spirit, but Freiburg is “900 years young” at heart! — Visible traces of history meld with a vibrant life in the here and now: Even though the clocks in the sunny southwest may have always run at a slightly different pace, time has by no means stood still here, which is evident in Freiburg wherever you look. The most beautiful spire in Christendom col- lides with the avant-garde architecture of a new university library, the tranquil activity on Münsterplatz (Cathedral Square) collides with the bus- tling atmosphere on Platz der Alten Synagoge (Old Synagogue Square) and a charming medieval and “Little Venice” flair collides with Freiburg’s lead- ing international role as a green city. As the warmest holiday spot in the tripoint area, where the borders of Germany, France and Switzerland con- verge, Freiburg combines an unbeatable climate with the best of all worlds and has leapt to the top of the most popular cities in Germany. As befits the anniversary year, this issue reveals just how well opposites go together here, where an appreciation of tradition pairs with a spirit of innovation, local pride with a cosmopolitan mindset and verve with an easygoing na- ture. Discover both the old and the new, a bustling city center and sleepy neighborhoods, a lively cultural scene and a way of life that you won’t find anywhere else: 900 years young! Happy reading! With warm regards from The FREIBURGER team Freiburg Wirtschaft Touristik und Messe GmbH & Co. KG Freiburg – comfortably down-to-earth, pleasantly laid-back and culturally cosmopolitan in every way. Perhaps this is precisely why the city is equally beloved among visitors and FWTM / Baschi Bender locals as an extremely livable place with lots to experience. This is as true now as it has been in the past and especially this year, as Freiburg celebrates its 900th anniversary! 3 1 Contents You may have spotted the bright red cross on the cover of our magazine: Perhaps it’s there to reflect the city’s coat of arms? Or maybe it’s an X to mark the spot? Is it there to catch the eye or make a statement? Or maybe it’s all of these things? We think that it’s the ideal symbol for 21st-century Freiburg because it can mean so many different things at once: history and fresh starts, the familiar and the unknown, local hospi- tality and scathing defiance. There are many sides to Freiburg, from tiny alleyways to soaring towers. Join us on our tour of discovery! FWTM / Schwerer 34 The sound of the city: anything but ordinary. Cultural Life 34 Play it again, buddy Lothar Jung 38 Music bars as cultural heritage FWTM / Antal 22 38 Jazz in Freiburg Interview with Michael Musiol from Jazzhaus On skis in the winter and on wheels 40 Read on, Freiburg in the summer – the surrounding Plenty of material for some good stories countryside entices with its culture, cuisine and fun. 42 A day on Freiburg’s balcony Neighborhood profile of Herdern FWTM / Schoenen 28 An Amble Through Freiburg Escaping the 5 I see something you don’t see Daily Grind (Hi)stories from the underground 10 900 years young 22 Out and about among the vines Far more than just a weekend of festivities An outing around Tuniberg 42 FWTM / Spiegelhalter · 14 Bargain hunters 28 Cityscape, landscape, snowscape, escape Exploring Freiburg’s flea markets and Through the Black Forest on skis second-hand stores Herdern – a district of many faces 16 Still chiming, loud and clear “Hosanna” – Freiburg’s ringing marvel across the ages 2 3 I see something you don’t see –01 (HI)STORIES FROM THE UNDERGROUND – An Amble A stroll through Freiburg’s city center reveals interesting remnants of bygone eras in many places. Actually appreci- ating them as such and listening to stories about the city’s Through history transforms an amble through the alleyways into a multilayered trip through time. Two historical remains typi cal of Freiburg and the findings of archeological re- search lead us back to the beginnings of the city’s develop- Freiburg ment – and right on down into the underworld. By: Ute Battig Hotel & Restaurant zum Roten Bären GmbH Hotel & Restaurant zum Roten Bären 5 AN AMBLE THROUGH FREIBURG Shortly after it was founded in the 12th century, Freiburg underwent sweeping phases of renovation. 900 years young The city was, in a sense, one large construction site. Over the centuries, many well- After analyzing archeological sources, experts regard known women and men have come it as fact that, in those days, large sections of the city to the university city in the Breis- center were raised up to three meters by piling up gau region and left their marks. gravel. This served to increase the slope and thereby the range of the raw water system at the time – giving We took a look at their stories. rise to Freiburg’s Bächle, or the little streams that flow through the city – ensuring the supply of the core city with its growing suburbs. In the course of this, what had formerly been a build- ing’s ground floor back then became a basement, while the existing basement became a subbasement. The original entrance and the spaces people lived in essen- The founder tially moved down one floor, which meant that there Archduke Albrecht VI of Austria founds were two floors below ground. Nowadays, they pro- the University of Freiburg in 1457. vide valuable information about the development of One of his objectives for doing so the city’s buildings and how old they are. A trip back is to encourage people to move to in time to the Middle Ages is something you can expe- Freiburg, a highly indebted city at the rience quite vividly in the subbasement of the city ar- Researchers assume that Freiburg’s Bächle time in the territory of Further Austria. chive on Grünwälderstrasse, where visitors can still see (canals) have been around since before 1120 the windows and doors of the former structure, which and that they were laid out systematically, are now about 2.50 meters below street level. Another presumably in connection with the expansion subbasement that is both accessible and carefully re- of the city walls. The first written mention of stored can be found in the Hotel Zum Roten Bären 1 Oberlinden, which is considered to be Germany’s old- the Bächle is in a document by the Dominican est inn. Bread soup and stables have long since become order from the year 1246. things of the past here, leaving behind a tasteful and The explosionist dignified atmosphere. The hotel now attracts guests During alchemical experiments in with its modern flair and a touch of extravagance. Both 1359, Franciscan monk Berthold A landmark’s changing function of the subbasements mentioned in this article have un- Schwarz grinds together saltpeter, fortunately not yet been made accessible to the public From providing raw water for everyday use and wa- sulfur and charcoal, inventing gunpow- at set times. However, visitations are possible by sched- ter for fighting fires to surface drainage and, yes, even der in the process, as the legend goes. uling an appointment in advance and for hotel guests. disposing of street waste, the Bächle played a criti- It is uncertain if the story is true, but In addition, the Uniseum – or the museum of the Uni- cal function for a long time. Like the Gewerbebach a statue on top of the fountain on versity of Freiburg on Bertoldstrasse 2 – provides ac- stream on Gerberau street, which, to this day, supplies Rathausplatz (Town Hall Square) and cess to a late medieval basement and the stories and the water from the Dreisam River into the system of a stained-glass window in the Johan- neskirche (Church of St. John) like to other lore that relate to it. small canals, the Bächle may not necessarily be one of perpetuate it anyway. the city’s most obvious attractions at first glance, but A glimpse into the subbasement of the Hotel they certainly have some of the richest history. Popu- Zum Roten Bären, where parts of the building lation growth and technological advancements mean- from the High Middle Ages are still preserved. while made it necessary to find new solutions. For FWTM / Escher · wikimedia commons According to a brief history of the hotel, these safety reasons, the watercourses were relocated in the remains enable visitors to imagine what it might Right: mid-19th century first from the middle to the edge of have looked like here at the time the city was the street and redirected into pipes, in some cases. founded. With the introduction of modern sewer and drainage systems, the Bächle lost their original importance to The trailblazer the city’s inhabitants. After all this, the canals continue In Freiburg in 1900, Mathilde Wagner to play an important role in city planning even now- is Germany’s first female student adays, both as a traditional landmark and, in light of to gain access to the university, rising urban temperatures, as a sustainable way of im- where she receives her doctorate proving the microclimate. » in medicine.