Freiberg (Saxony) Travel Guide
A detailed destination guide for your next Germany vacation
Freiberg (Saxony) Overview
Freiberg (i.e. free mountain) is a city in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, capital of the Mittelsachsen district.
The city was founded in 1186, and has been a center of the mining industry in the Ore Mountains for centuries. A symbol of this history is the Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg (famously known as the Mining Academy), established in 1765 and the oldest university of mining and metallurgy in the world. Freiberg also has a notable cathedral containing two famous Gottfried Silbermann organs. Furthermore there are two other organs made by Gottfried Silbermann - one at the St. Peter's Church (Petrikirche) and the other one at the St. James' Church (Jacobikirche). The medieval part of Freiberg stands under heritage protection.
The river, Freiberger Mulde, flows through the township of Freiberg, not the city itself.
In 1944 the Flossenburg concentration camp oversaw a subcamp built outside the city of Freiberg. It housed over 500 female survivors of other camps, including Auschwitz Birkenau. Altogether 50 or so SS women worked in this camp until its evacuation in April 1945. The female survivors later reached the Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria.
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Things to See in Freiberg (Saxony)
Stadttheatre, built in 1790 and is regarded as the oldest preserved theater
Town and Mining Museum
Natural History Museum
Universitätsmuseum der Bergakademie Freiberg
Dom St. Marien, on its south side there is the striking golden gate
St. Petri church with three towers, the highest of the city, and 72 m high. This bears the familiar Häuerglocke (the so-called Saigerschelle) and it rings each hour.
Jakobi Church
Castle Freudenstein
Torstensson-Linde
[ source: wikipedia ]
Maps and Driving Directions to Freiberg (Saxony)
Obermarkt and St. Petri
[ source: Flickr]
Popular Points of Interest in and near Freiberg (Saxony)
Freiberg Cathedral
[ source: Wikipedia ]
The Freiberg Cathedral or Cathedral of St Mary (Dom St. Marien) is a Lutheran church built around 1180. It is called a cathedral even though it has never been the seat of a bishop. Two significant works of art that are still conserved were added very early: the Triumphkreuzgruppe crucifixion group (around 1225) and the Goldene Pforte (Golden Gate). In 1480, the church was turned into a Collegiate church. However, the collegiate was dissolved after only 57 years due to the reformation in Saxony.
In the great fire of 1484, the church was almost completely destroyed. However, the crucifixion group, golden gate, and parts of the quire were preserved. The Cathedral of St. Mary was built at the same location as a triple-naved Gothic hall church. A remarkable feature are the two adjacent pulpits in the central nave, the free-standing Tulpenkanzel (Tulip pulpit) from 1505, and the Bergmannkanzel (Miner's pulpit) of 1638 created by Hans Fritzsche.
Between 1541 and August II the Strong's conversion to Catholicism, nine rulers of Saxony were buried in the quire of the cathedral. A special attraction for organ enthusiasts is the great organ by Gottfried Silbermann with its three keyboards, 44 organ stops and 2574 organ pipes. The cathedral is still used for services by the congregation. It can be visited daily for a fee in guided tours.
Terra Mineralia/Castle Freudenstein
[ source: Museum website ]
Margrave Otto of Wettin (the Rich) decided to built a representative residential and administrative centre for the Wettin Lords and so Castle Freudenstein was built between 1175 and 1177. In the 17th and 18th centuries castle started to fall into ruin; the last prominent visitor was Czar Peter I of Russia who visited the castle in 1750 and described it as dilapidated. The castle was reconstructed over the years and used for a variety of purposes; however it wasn't until 2008 that the Saxon state government decided that the TU Bergakademie Freibergmay (the world's oldest mining school) should use the castle together with the Saxon Archives of Mining and Metallurgy. Based on this decision, the reconstruction of the castle began in the following year and the it was opened as terra mineralia
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terra minerlia contains over 3.500 minerals, gemstones and meteorites from five continents presented in the historical setting of the castle Freudenstein. In the permanent exhibitionthe treasures of famous deposits in the five contienents are displayed on three floors. The exhibits are a result of Dr. Erika Pohl, who donated her private mineral collection, regarded as one of the most valuable and significant private collections worldwide. In Freiberg, it is now open to the public for the first time.
Hours: Open daily 9am - 6pm.
Admission: Adults 7 €, Concessions 4 €, pre-school ages or below are free.
Related Sites
We collected some useful links related to Freiberg (Saxony). 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 Freiberg (Saxony): Freiberg (Saxony) (official home page)
- Wikipedia: Freiberg (Saxony)
More about the History of Freiberg (Saxony)
The city, whose history is closely linked to the mining industry, was created immediately after the settlement took place around 1160. In the high Middle Ages, Freiberg was the largest town in the Mark Meissen (Meissen vacation rentals | Meissen travel guide) and an important trading location. Each individual's silver helped transform the Electorate of Saxony into a prosperous state. From the Second World War until 1969, mining activities in the field of lead, zinc and Zinngewinnung increased.
[ source: wikipedia ]
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