Schlossberg (Freiburg)
Encyclopedia
The Schlossberg is a tree covered hill of 456m located in the area of the city of Freiburg im Breisgau. It is directly to the east of Freiburg’s Old Town and belongs to the Black Forest
. The main geological fault is at the western edge of the Schlossberg towards the Upper Rhine Graben
.
Fortified structures had been built on the Schlossberg since the 11th century. Remains of some of them are still visible today. For a few years now the board of trustees has tried to make the historical past of the Schlossberg in Freiburg more visible. To achieve this, the remains of the old, overgrown fortifications are being carefully uncovered to make them available to interested visitors. The tower located on the hill (Schloßbergturm) offers a unique panoramic view over the whole town and its vicinity, and was built in 2002 as a project of the board of trustees.
The Burghaldering (literally the Motte
ring) also offers a good view over the city, especially from the Kanonenplatz right above the historical centre. The Burghaldering, which circles the hill at half height is partly a hiking trail and partly a forest road closed to motor traffic. It can be reached by foot or car and, since July 2008, also via the new Schlossbergbahn
, a funicular railway
built to replace the old Schlossberg cable railway.
Inside the mountain, there is a water tower built between 1874 and 1876 to supply Freiburg. Alongside the water tank
a large bomb shelter can be found, which was built in the 20th century. Its main entrance is located on the west side of the mountain. The Bismarcktower, made of red sandstone, is located on a rock above the Burghaldering. It was designed by Fritz Geiges and inaugurated in 1900.
, built the Romanesque
-style Castum de Friburch, mentioned in numerous documents and praised in the songs of the medieval poet Hartmann von Aue
. It was not until thirty years later in 1120 that his son Konrad, with the permission of Emperor Heinrich IV
, bestowed the right to hold a market upon the settlement of artisans and servants which had grown up at the foot of the hill. This marked the end of the founding period of the city of Freiburg.
Over the centuries the fortifications on the Schlossberg were repeatedly destroyed by fire and hostilities, but were always re-erected by the rulers of the time because of their strategic importance in controlling the Dreisam
River valley. While the Zähringer castle located to the north of the city was named after the village below it, the building on the Schlossberg was always referred to as the “Burghaldenschloss” or “fortified hilltop castle”.
The citizens of Freiburg took the fortress twice. In 1299 during the struggle with their overlord Count Egino II and his brother-in-law Konrad von Lichtenberg, the Bishop of Strasbourg, the citizens used a catapult to breach castle walls. And in 1366 in a siege during the conflict with Egino II the citizens in fact used canons to raze “the most glorious fortress in German territories” to the ground. That put paid to any chances of an amicable relationship between the counts of Freiburg and the citizenry. In the end the people of the city bought their freedom for the price of 15,000 marks in silver, and placed themselves under the protection of the House of Habsburg in 1368. The new lord of the town, Archduke Leopold, generously gifted the ruins on the Schlossberg to the citizens.
The town carried out only minimal repairs on the fortification and thus it became easy prey for enemies during the Peasants’ Revolt in 1525 and the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648). Finally, however, in 1668 Emperor Leopold I built a strong hilltop fortress called the Leopoldburg, incorporating the Burghaldenschloss. It was intended as a bulwark against the threat of Louis XIV to the Breisgau area. These efforts were in vain, however, for only nine years later in the Franco-Dutch Wars French troops conquered both the town and the fortress.
After the Habsburgs were forced to relinquish Freiburg to the French in the Treaty of Nijmegen in 1679, the Schlossberg underwent its greatest alterations. Louis XIV instructed his fortifications engineer Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban to establish the city of Freiburg as a French outpost within Further Austria; the entire city including the Schlossberg was to be surrounded by a modern, tiered fortification wall. In 1681 the king himself came with a large entourage to inspect the construction work, and on this occasion he also visited the Schlossberg.
After the Nine Years War came to an end with the Treaty of Ryswick
, Louis XIV had to give up Freiburg. This loss for the French realm was given a positive colouring, as can be seen in the following French record:
The King has abandoned a number of places which were of no strategic use …the city of Freiburg was not of sufficient use for the King to feel its return as a loss. The city has returned to the fold of the Holy Roman Empire and the protection of the Emperor, who is at the same time the lord of the land.
During the War of the Spanish Succession
, in 1713, the fortress, manned by a strong Austria
n force, was once again besieged and taken by French troops under the command of Marshall Louis Héctor de Villar. The restitution of the fortress to the Holy Roman Empire was negotiated in Rastatt and implemented in 1715.
And yet again there was a war – this time the Austrian War of Succession. In autumn 1744, as allies of Frederick the Great of Prussia
, the French once again took Freiburg. Louis XIV himself observed how the siege of the city was progressing from the vantage point of the Lorettoberg (Loretto Hill) and was almost hit by a stray cannonball fired by the forces defending the city. One year later Freiburg was returned to the Habsburgs, in the Treaty of Dresden
. Before the French troops departed, however, they destroyed Vauban’s system of ramparts so thoroughly that for several decades a vast field of rubble spread over the Schlossberg and the surrounding area of the town.
It was on the overgrown rubble of a lower outcrop of the Schlossberg that the Austrian district president, Hermann von Greiffenegg, had a residence built in 1805. It was referred to as “Greiffeneggschlössle”, (Greiffenegg’s little castle) by the locals. Von Greiffenegg himself named it Quieti Sacrum, or Sacred Stillness and lived in it for only two years up to his death. His son, who led an unsettled life, lived in it from 1833 to 1840 before he was forced to sell it for financial reasons. Today it houses a restaurant with a very charming beer-garden under chestnut trees.
Black Forest
The Black Forest is a wooded mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. It is bordered by the Rhine valley to the west and south. The highest peak is the Feldberg with an elevation of 1,493 metres ....
. The main geological fault is at the western edge of the Schlossberg towards the Upper Rhine Graben
Upper Rhine Graben
The Upper Rhine Plain, Rhine Rift Valley or Upper Rhine Graben is a major rift, straddling the border between France and Germany. It forms part of the European Cenozoic Rift System, which extends across central Europe...
.
General information
The Burghaldering (literally the Motte
Motte
Motte may be:*Motte-and-bailey, a type of construction used in castles*Isaac Motte, an 18th century American statesman*La Motte , various places with this name-See also:* Mote * Mott...
ring) also offers a good view over the city, especially from the Kanonenplatz right above the historical centre. The Burghaldering, which circles the hill at half height is partly a hiking trail and partly a forest road closed to motor traffic. It can be reached by foot or car and, since July 2008, also via the new Schlossbergbahn
Schlossbergbahn (Freiburg)
The Schlossbergbahn, or Castle Hill Railway, is a funicular railway in the town of Freiburg im Breisgau in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It links the city centre with the Schlossberg hill....
, a funicular railway
Funicular
A funicular, also known as an inclined plane or cliff railway, is a cable railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a steep slope; the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalance each other.-Operation:The basic principle of funicular...
built to replace the old Schlossberg cable railway.
Inside the mountain, there is a water tower built between 1874 and 1876 to supply Freiburg. Alongside the water tank
Water tank
A Water tank is a container for storing water. The need for a water tank is as old as civilized man, providing storage of water for drinking water, irrigation agriculture, fire suppression, agricultural farming, both for plants and livestock, chemical manufacturing, food preparation as well as many...
a large bomb shelter can be found, which was built in the 20th century. Its main entrance is located on the west side of the mountain. The Bismarcktower, made of red sandstone, is located on a rock above the Burghaldering. It was designed by Fritz Geiges and inaugurated in 1900.
History
The hill above Freiburg is rightly called Schlossberg (Castle Hill); as far back as 1091, Berthold II, Duke of ZähringenZähringen
Zähringen is the name of an old German family that founded a large number of cities in what are today Switzerland and Baden-Württemberg. While the junior line that first assumed the title Duke of Zähringen, a cadet branch of the House of Baden, became extinct in 1218, the senior line persists and...
, built the Romanesque
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
-style Castum de Friburch, mentioned in numerous documents and praised in the songs of the medieval poet Hartmann von Aue
Hartmann von Aue
Hartmann von Aue was a Middle High German poet. He introduced the courtly romance into German literature and, with Wolfram von Eschenbach and Gottfried von Strassburg, was one of the three great epic poets of Middle High German literature...
. It was not until thirty years later in 1120 that his son Konrad, with the permission of Emperor Heinrich IV
Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry IV was King of the Romans from 1056 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1084 until his forced abdication in 1105. He was the third emperor of the Salian dynasty and one of the most powerful and important figures of the 11th century...
, bestowed the right to hold a market upon the settlement of artisans and servants which had grown up at the foot of the hill. This marked the end of the founding period of the city of Freiburg.
Over the centuries the fortifications on the Schlossberg were repeatedly destroyed by fire and hostilities, but were always re-erected by the rulers of the time because of their strategic importance in controlling the Dreisam
Dreisam
Dreisam is a river in Germany near Freiburg. It empties into the Elz. The waters of the Dreisam feed the famous Freiburg bächle....
River valley. While the Zähringer castle located to the north of the city was named after the village below it, the building on the Schlossberg was always referred to as the “Burghaldenschloss” or “fortified hilltop castle”.
The citizens of Freiburg took the fortress twice. In 1299 during the struggle with their overlord Count Egino II and his brother-in-law Konrad von Lichtenberg, the Bishop of Strasbourg, the citizens used a catapult to breach castle walls. And in 1366 in a siege during the conflict with Egino II the citizens in fact used canons to raze “the most glorious fortress in German territories” to the ground. That put paid to any chances of an amicable relationship between the counts of Freiburg and the citizenry. In the end the people of the city bought their freedom for the price of 15,000 marks in silver, and placed themselves under the protection of the House of Habsburg in 1368. The new lord of the town, Archduke Leopold, generously gifted the ruins on the Schlossberg to the citizens.
The town carried out only minimal repairs on the fortification and thus it became easy prey for enemies during the Peasants’ Revolt in 1525 and the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648). Finally, however, in 1668 Emperor Leopold I built a strong hilltop fortress called the Leopoldburg, incorporating the Burghaldenschloss. It was intended as a bulwark against the threat of Louis XIV to the Breisgau area. These efforts were in vain, however, for only nine years later in the Franco-Dutch Wars French troops conquered both the town and the fortress.
After the Habsburgs were forced to relinquish Freiburg to the French in the Treaty of Nijmegen in 1679, the Schlossberg underwent its greatest alterations. Louis XIV instructed his fortifications engineer Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban to establish the city of Freiburg as a French outpost within Further Austria; the entire city including the Schlossberg was to be surrounded by a modern, tiered fortification wall. In 1681 the king himself came with a large entourage to inspect the construction work, and on this occasion he also visited the Schlossberg.
After the Nine Years War came to an end with the Treaty of Ryswick
Treaty of Ryswick
The Treaty of Ryswick or Ryswyck was signed on 20 September 1697 and named after Ryswick in the Dutch Republic. The treaty settled the Nine Years' War, which pitted France against the Grand Alliance of England, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire and the United Provinces.Negotiations started in May...
, Louis XIV had to give up Freiburg. This loss for the French realm was given a positive colouring, as can be seen in the following French record:
The King has abandoned a number of places which were of no strategic use …the city of Freiburg was not of sufficient use for the King to feel its return as a loss. The city has returned to the fold of the Holy Roman Empire and the protection of the Emperor, who is at the same time the lord of the land.
During the War of the Spanish Succession
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was fought among several European powers, including a divided Spain, over the possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under one Bourbon monarch. As France and Spain were among the most powerful states of Europe, such a unification would have...
, in 1713, the fortress, manned by a strong Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n force, was once again besieged and taken by French troops under the command of Marshall Louis Héctor de Villar. The restitution of the fortress to the Holy Roman Empire was negotiated in Rastatt and implemented in 1715.
And yet again there was a war – this time the Austrian War of Succession. In autumn 1744, as allies of Frederick the Great of Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
, the French once again took Freiburg. Louis XIV himself observed how the siege of the city was progressing from the vantage point of the Lorettoberg (Loretto Hill) and was almost hit by a stray cannonball fired by the forces defending the city. One year later Freiburg was returned to the Habsburgs, in the Treaty of Dresden
Treaty of Dresden
The Treaty of Dresden was signed on 25 December 1745 at the Saxon capital of Dresden between Austria, Saxony and Prussia, ending the Second Silesian War....
. Before the French troops departed, however, they destroyed Vauban’s system of ramparts so thoroughly that for several decades a vast field of rubble spread over the Schlossberg and the surrounding area of the town.
It was on the overgrown rubble of a lower outcrop of the Schlossberg that the Austrian district president, Hermann von Greiffenegg, had a residence built in 1805. It was referred to as “Greiffeneggschlössle”, (Greiffenegg’s little castle) by the locals. Von Greiffenegg himself named it Quieti Sacrum, or Sacred Stillness and lived in it for only two years up to his death. His son, who led an unsettled life, lived in it from 1833 to 1840 before he was forced to sell it for financial reasons. Today it houses a restaurant with a very charming beer-garden under chestnut trees.