Friborg In Switzerland, The City Of Bridges
Friborg is one of the most attractive cities in Switzerland and also more surprising, since you can discover an area as modern and contemporary as the most, while at a short distance you can see a network of medieval streets, full of fountains, monuments and the bridges that span the waters of the Saane or Sarine river.
Another curiosity of Freiburg is that here the topographical and historical order is shown differently from other places. The modern city is in the upper part, and there the university life that characterizes Freiburg takes place. Instead, the historic area is on a hillside and already on the way to the river.
And the peculiarities do not end here, because Freiburg, unlike other Swiss cantons, is officially bilingual and everything appears in French and German.
What are we going to see in Freiburg
Without a doubt, the most attractive part of Freiburg is the old one. Known as the Auge neighborhood or lower city, which was originally a simple village that ended up being absorbed by Freiburg.
On the other hand, the most emblematic building of Freiburg’s peculiar medieval skyline is its cathedral, built in the 13th century in honor of Saint Nicholas. And it stands out especially for its bell tower, which exceeds 70 meters in height.
However, when visiting the interior of the temple, it is surprising that its Gothic forms host a beautiful repertoire of stained glass windows typical of 20th century Art Nouveau.
Starting from the Cathedral of San Nicolás, a descending walk towards the river begins, walking through narrow cobbled streets of the most romantic. And suddenly the streets lead to more or less large squares where the famous Freiburg fountains are located.
The Freiburg Fountains Route
Already very close to the cathedral is one of the fountains that make up this attractive route. It is the one of San Jorge, built in 1525. And, although they are called medieval fountains, we are going to find them from various periods, from the fourteenth to the eighteenth century.
The oldest is the Fountain of Courage, dating from 1394. It is already in the lower part of the Auge neighborhood and is easily recognized by introducing us to a bearded character who has defeated a lion.
In fact, many of the medieval sources in Freiburg allude to virtues. For example, there is the Samaritan Woman fountain, which was originally made of wood. Or the source of Loyalty, currently greatly transformed compared to the initial one that was raised in 1404.
In short, during the walk, the Freiburg fountains appear, which are also dedicated to biblical characters such as Samson, Saint Anne, the Baptist or the Virgin.
The bridges of Freiburg
If the Cathedral of San Nicolás and the fountains are tourist attractions of the first order, the same happens with the old bridges of the town. Possibly the most beautiful is the Bern Bridge, the initial construction of which was carried out in 1270.
This wooden covered bridge contrasts with another also old, but now paved. It is the Milieu bridge. But there are still more bridges in Freiburg, for example, at the top you can see the modern Gotteron Bridge. For that you will surely not walk, but instead you will do it over the San Juan bridge, since that way you will arrive at the last of the great attractions of the city: its funicular.
The Freiburg funicular
Its appearance with old wooden wagons does not deceive. It was built in 1899 and links the river area with the modern city.
Despite its age, it is quite a surprise, since it is a funicular that works thanks to an ingenious counterweight system, for which the city’s wastewater is used, and each of its two wagons accumulates up to 3,000 liters of liquid to overcome an incline greater than 52%.
Just to know that you move thanks to that system, it is already worth taking it. In addition, with it you will save yourself going up the steep medieval streets, through which it is much better going down. And finally, the upper station of the funicular offers fantastic views of the entire city.
