Breisach am Rhein Travel Guide
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Breisach am Rhein Overview
Situated along the Rhine River on the French and German border lies the city of Breisach. Home to Europe's largest producing wine cellar and the beautiful late Gothic cathedral, St. Stephansmünster.
Situated along the Rhine River on the French and German border lies the city of Breisach. Home to Europe's largest producing wine cellar and the beautiful late Gothic cathedral, St. Stephansmünster. It is a city with approximately 16,500 inhabitants, situated in the district Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald, of Baden-Württemberg.
Its name is Celtic and means breakwater. The hill, on which Breisach came into existence was—at least when there was a flood—in the middle of the Rhine until the Rhine was straightened by the engineer Johann Gottfried Tulla in the 19th century, thus breaking its surge.
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Things to See in Breisach am Rhein
- Badischer Winzerkeller eG Breisach: Guided tours including tasting in Europe's biggest producing wine cellar are possible from Monday to Saturday upon appointment. Occasionally there are guided tours on Sunday when there is a promotion called 'Offener Winzerkeller'.
- Museum of town history
- St. Stephan's Cathedral of Breisach
- Open air theatre festival: Each year from June to September the Open Air theatre festival presents two plays, one for adults and one for children.
[ source: breisach ]
Maps and Driving Directions to Breisach am Rhein
By car: On the motorway A5 Basel-Frankfurt, Exit Riegel, Freiburg-Süd or Bad Krozingen.
By railway: Via Freiburg Hauptbahnhof (main train station), then train and bus connections to Breisach.
Breisach as seen from the French Rhine shore.
[ source: Flickr]
Related Sites
We collected some useful links related to Breisach am Rhein. If you know a few more sites not listed here, or also know some insider tips or point of interests for this destination? Please share and submit your Germany travel tip. If approved it will be shown on this page!
- Homepage of Breisach am Rhein: Breisach am Rhein (official home page)
- Wikipedia: Breisach am Rhein
More about the History of Breisach am Rhein
The seat of a Celtic prince was at the hill on which Breisach lies. The Romans maintained an auxiliary castle on Mons Brisiacus (which came from the celtic word Brisger which means waterbreak) The Staufer founded Breisach as a city in today's sense. But there had already been a settlement with a church at the time. An 11th century coin from Breisach was found in the Sandur hoard.
In the early 13th century, construction on the St. Stephansmünster, the cathedral in Breisach, started. In the early 16th century, Breisach was a significant stronghold of the Holy Roman Empire. On December 7, 1638, Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar, who was subsidized by France, conquered the city, which Ferdinand II and General Reinach had defended well, and tried to make center of a new territory. After Bernhard's death in 1639, his general gave the territory to France, which saw it as its own conquest. In the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, Breisach was de jure given to France.
From 1670, Breisach was integrated into the French state in the course of the politics of Reunions. In the Treaty of Ryswick in 1697, Breisach was returned to the Holy Roman Empire, but then reconquered on September 7, 1703 by General Villars at the beginning of the War of the Spanish Succession. At the Treaty of Rastatt (Rastatt vacation rentals | Rastatt travel guide) on March 7, 1714, Breisach became once again part of the Empire. Meanwhile, France founded its own fortress, Neuf-Brisach ("New Breisach"), on the left shore of the Rhine. In 1790, Breisach was part of Further Austria. In the revolutionary wars in 1793, Breisach was widely destroyed and then, in 1805, annexed to the de facto re-established state of Baden.
During World War II, 85% of Breisach was destroyed by Allied artillery as the Allies crossed the Rhine. The St. Stephansmünster was also heavily damaged.
In 1969, Breisach was considered as the construction site for a nuclear power plant, but Wyhl was chosen instead, where the construction project was later abandoned in the face of heavy opposition.
The near-by cities of Hochstetten (1970), Gündlingen (1972), Niederrimsingen (1973), and Oberrimsingen (Oberrimsingen vacation rentals | Oberrimsingen travel guide) (1975) along with Grezhausen, which had been incorporated into Oberrimsingen in 1936, were all incorporated into Breisach.
[ source: wikipedia ]
What makes this Live Like a German Breisach am Rhein Travel Guide special...
This Breisach am Rhein travel guide provides you with an overview of Breisach am Rhein, Breisach am Rhein pictures, and a local travel guide that suggests many special trips, unique activities, and vacation ideas, that you can't find in a typical Germany travel guide.
Some of this information is compiled from popular and well-known sources (e.g., such as Wikipedia, Wikitravel, and great pictures from Flickr). However, what makes this Germany travel guide special is that most of the travel suggestions and insider tips are provided by local residents, property owners, and our readers, who share and submit their travel tips with us. All submissions are then editorially reviewed to ensure high quality. All this information is logically organized within this destination guide to make it easy for you to find things quickly.
In addition, the Breisach am Rhein destination guide features restaurant recommendations, restaurant reviews, where to go for grocery shopping, sports activities, getting around, cultural events and highlights, entertainment, and health related information - so you are informed for your travel to Germany, and you can learn about all the cool things you can do during your Germany vacation!
