Freiburg Germany

Freiburg im Breisgau

Our trip to Germany was built around a series of lectures that Earl was going to give.  It was not until we reached the third city that I started to understand how exhausting speaking and traveling were. Freiberg was our first stop.  We flew to the Euro Aeroport on Sunday and had all of that day together.  Monday the work started. We still had a chance to look around a bit before Earl spoke to a group on the university campus.

Our hotel the Park Hotel Post

I am not sure exactly what the origin of the name for the hotel was but it is sitting just opposite 

the big yellow post office in Freiburg.

Just down the street is the theater Freiburg.  It is part of the university and serves the community as well.  No movies.  Sorry.

This amazing building is the university library. All of the lights were on and it was a very busy place on a Sunday afternoon.  The interesting structure with all of its angles and corners reminds me of the library on the UCDS campus. Out of the ordinary too. 

We knew that a lot of the people in the city used their bikes to get around. This picture doesn't show how amazing this parking spot it the library was.  So full of bicycles. 

The sign on the front of the library. 

One of the pictures we did not take was of the memorial to the victims of the Holocost that 

is just across the street from the library.  Searching my memory and looking online did not yield any of the information that I wanted.  I vaguely remember that this is a new memorial that has been built in this century.It is a flat park/square area. We were there when it was dark so we did not see all of the plaques in the ground remembering victims. 

Fredericka told us that many people are offended because children love to come play in this wide open space and run all around.  Personally, I think that is what a memorial should be...someplace people can come and feel like they belong there. 

I just came across this great page about the memorial: Some really good pictures.

I had forgotten that the memorial is called Synagog Square. Of course no building remains,.

In this picture, you can see the very modern university library across the street. 

This picture is what I remember.  This is from a Brief History:

Brass plates, about 4″x4″ big, are set into the pavement outside each citizen’s former residence. Each plate contains as much personal information as is known, including the name, occupation, date of birth, date of arrest and deportation, name of the camp they were sent to and killed at (or survived), and year of death.

...remembers the deportation of about 350 Jews from Freiburg to the Gurs camp in Southern France. Approximately 6,500 Jews from from Southwest Germany were deported from the German Reich to the internment camp at the edge of the Pyrenees on October 22, 1940 in one the the first deportation campaigns.

Freiburg, 2012, Detailed view, Johannes Rüh - The Forgotten Coat



Wikipedia photo of the Forgotten Coat

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The Martinstor, one of the original city gates in Freiburg

On 22 October 1940, the Nazi Gauleiter of Baden, Robert Heinrich Wagner, ordered the deportation of all of Baden's and 350 of Freiburg's Jewish population. They were deported to Camp Gurs in the south of France where many died. On 18 July 1942, the remaining Baden and Freiburg Jews were transferred to Auschwitz in Poland, where almost all were murdered.^[6] A living memorial has been created in the form of the 'footprint' in marble on the site of the city's original synagogue, which was burned down by the Nazis on 9 November 1938, during the pogrom known as Kristallnacht. The memorial is a children's paddling pool and contains a bronze plaque commemorating the original building and the Jewish community which perished. The pavements of Freiburg carry memorials to individual victims, in the form of brass plates outside their former residences.

Strangely enough the first time Freiburg was

bombed in WW II, it was the Luftwaffe.  Later the city was heavily bombed by Allied planes.  Somehow the cathedral survived the destruction with relatively little damage. 

A lot of the pictures that Earl took were preceded by my entreaties of look at that. Some of the pictures are of buildings only vaguely remembered.  Such as this one.

The city is built on either side of the Dreisam river, Freiberg is part of the Black Forefreiburg Cathelo

From Wikipedia again:  Freiburg was heavily bombed during World War II. In May 1940, aircraft of the Luftwaffe mistakenly dropped approximately 60 bombs on Freiburg near the railway station, killing 57 people.^[7] 

On 27 November 1944, a raid by more than 300 bombers of RAF Bomber Command (Operation Tigerfish) destroyed a large portion of the city centre, with the notable exception of the Münster, which was only lightly damaged. 

After the war, the city was rebuilt on its medieval plan.Our host in Freiberg said that the reconstruction was much debater.

Our host in Freiburg told us that there was much debate about the restoration of the city.  Should it be a modern city with all of its convenience?  Should it be nostalgic rebuilding of its former glory?  As a tourist, I am delighted that they chose to build a lot of the buildings in the center of the city using the original blueprints

At the bottom of the page for Wikipedia there are some beautiful pictures of the city.

These buildings are part of a school

In the background is the Munster or city hall

Almost all of the old part (the medieval Innenstadt) of the city was completely destroyed by Allied bombing during World War II.

Schwabentor (tower), Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.K. Praedel/ZEFA

Naturally, there must be a picture of Elaine as she eats. 

Let's food does play an important part of my life. One of the surprising parts of our trip was

all of the cut tulips on the dining tables. The stores are full of daffodils and tulips for sale.

We had breakfast at our hotel every morning.  It was a pleasure and I felt very spoiled. Especially with little jugs or huge cups of hot chocolate. 

The PHP prides itself as being a cultural center.  There were books to read in almost every corner.

And a stack on a shelf on our floor.

This building was very close to our hotel it is an archeological museum  Sorry we did not go inside to check it out. . 

These signs were on many of the shops in the different cities that we visited. Once in awhile

inside a store, such as H & M, there would be racks of close were it was clear what the percent off the clothes was being offered.  Lots of sales.

These are real pictures that we took.

Bakers at work in the Karlstad store.

The Cathedral in the background

Interior of the cathedral

Catheral windows

So many of the stained glasses windows survive.  The tier of the windows closer to the ceiling is a combination of stained glass and plain windows.  I didn't feel at all disappointed that some of the windows are simply glass. It just contributes to the history of the building

bin

Across the square from the cathedral is this impressive building. 

The Historical Merchants' Hall of 1520-21

This Nativity was on display at the Cathedral

Work being done on the spire ot the church

It is not the bridge of Sighs but it is enchanting also.

Elaine with our host Frederika and her assistant

I think I enjoyed Freiburg more than any of the other cities we visited. I think it was because Earl and I had an afternoon alone to walk around the old city.  In the other cities, we had only a few hours.  I had no trouble being enchanted by Freiburg. 

Elaine Fry <kelainefry@gmail.com>	Jan 28
to Chris, Lisa, leannafry, Kimberly, Steve, Kristi, Margaret, John

I think Dad has probably told you that we are in Freiburg, Germany.  We got into the taxi about 5:15 this morning.  We flew into a very small airport in Basel, Switzerland.  The Euro airport has three names on it, Basel,Freiburg, and Mulhouse.  Of course, we did not take any pictures.  There were signs going one way to France and Germany.  At the opposite end of the terminal was the sign pointing to Switzerland.

I'm pretty sure we will never get off a plane leading to 3 nations.
One lost photo opportunity lost.  We fly back to London from Munich.  One of Earl's cousins served in Freiburg with his wife not long ago.  Ralph tried to persuade Dad to go to church to meet their friends.  By the time we got here and deposited our luggage, it was almost one.  Not on our itinerary to go to church.

Dad is speaking four times in universities.  Everything was booked and arranged for by some part of the embassy.  Dad's arrangement to go from the airport to Freiburg was to take a taxi for roughly$200.00.  We would pay for it and be reimbursed.  You know Dad.  We took the airport bus that runs every hour.  18 Euros for two of us.  And we got off one block from our hotel.  He won't get money for my travel but I agreed to wait half an hour for the bus.  A huge travel bus with four passengers.

A much more sensible way to get here

We found an Indian restaurant for lunch.  Dad says we had good Karma (the name of the restaurant).  We are in the old part of town.  Few places to eat and almost every cafe and store was closed for Sunday.

This a university city and there are bikes every where.  A really modern library with literally 100s of bikes parked in front of it.

Dad doesn't talk until evening so we have a lot of time tomorrow..

Love, Mum

Dad was reading laat night about some of Freiburg's history.  It was heavily bombed during WW II.  The cathedral was one of the only buildings left standing.  The interest part is that the city was bombed for rhe first time in 1940.  By the Luftwaffe.  Apparently the German air force thought it was bombing France