Freiburg is a charming city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany (where it is officially known by its full name, Freiburg im Breisgau). Freiburg is situated in the center of the “Breisgauer Bucht” (“Breisgau Bay”). This is an area between the Kaiserstuhl (seat of the kaiser) – an extinct volcano directly on the eastern shore of the Rhine – and the Schwarzwald (Black Forest) mountain range, which recedes here.
The popular opinion is that Freiburg is the warmest city in Germany. It straddles the Dreisam river, and was founded in the foothills of the Schlossberg. The city is surrounded by mountains Rosskopf and Bromberg in the east, and in the south and west by the Schönberg, Tuniberg and the Kaiserstuhl.
The Schwarzwaldmetrople (Black Forest metropolis) is conveniently situated along the most important freeway A5 (Hamburg – Frankfurt – Basel) in the so-called “Drei-Länder-Eck” (corner of three countries ) of Germany, Switzerland and France. The Bundesstraße 31(national road) connects Freiburg to Swabia and the Bodensee (Lake of Constance).
Freiburg is famous for its many efforts to protect and preserve natural resources and the environment. In 1992, the city was awarded the title “Umwelthauptstadt Deutschlands” (The German Capital for Environmental Protection).
Position:
Latitude: 47 degrees 59´´ north, Longitude, 7 degrees 51´´ east
Variations in height:
from over 1000 meters: Waltershofen 196 m, Münsterplatz 278 m, Schauinsland 1284 m
Climate:
warm and dry in the plains, fresh and cool in the Black Forest.
Circumference:
96.3 kilometers
Surface area:
15.306 hectares, including: 6.420 hectares of forests; 586 km of forest trails; 408 hectares parks, green areas and playgrounds; as well as 742 hectares of vineyards.
Boundaries:
north-south: 18,6 km; east-west: 20,0 km
Distance:
to the French border (Rhine) 3 km; to the Swiss border by Basel 42 km