The Cathedral in Freiburg is one of those sights that it's a pity to miss. In it, much is unusual: both the confession, and style, and the name and position in the church system, and the unusually high level of security for Germany. All this happened as a result of integration - the influence of the situation, the duration of the construction and many other factors, and the result is really worth seeing.

The construction of the cathedral began in 1200 g ., 80 years after the city of Freiburg got the right to be called a city and build a city wall, a cathedral and a market . The original construction plan implied a simple building in the late Roman style, modeled after the cathedral in neighboring Basel, and parts of it are still visible - these are the lower tiers of the cathedral . Then the fashion changed several times, since the construction lasted more than 300 years and ended only in the beginning of the 16th century, all the changes in fashion were reflected in it: both French Gothic, and German, and early Baroque, and much else .

It is interesting that the main cathedral of the large German region was the Catholic Cathedral, but in this region this happened often - the proximity to France (here and there still half of the population are Catholics) . It is also curious that the Catholic cathedral in the city is traditionally called the munster - usually in such cases used other vocabulary (most often - the traditional dom) . Another non-standard thing is that this building was not property of churches and, and until now its right of possession is limited to . And for a few centuries the cathedral was the "home" church of the local university (founded in the 15th century) .

So, for more than 300 years the cathedral was completed and finished - later only side chapels were added, for which the best masters were invited. . He was happily avoided by all the wars of the region - he practically did not suffer during the bombing of the World War II, therefore the level of safety here is very high . The main Romanesque building of the 12th century - in plan rectangular shape, but added to it later extensions . The belfry was built in the beginning of the 14th century and almost 100 years after it was considered the tallest building in the world . The side extensions in the Gothic style were made mainly in the 15th century, and the chapels (altogether 11) - between 16 and 18 for centuries . Outside the walls are decorated with gargoyles (some are completely non-transferable faces) and other decorative elements .

Outwardly this is a very beautiful gothic building, but the most interesting is inside. The interior decoration was mostly made in the 15-16 centuries, and it was preserved. The most famous parts are the altar paintings executed by Holbein in 1512-1516. There are many of them, there are also works of other famous artists - both in the main building and in the chapels. Many other things have survived: paintings, carved objects, statues, paintings, tapestries and much more.

Another interesting thing is the bells. Their 19, the oldest survived from the 13th and 14th centuries. The largest bell is called Hosanna, it was made in 1258 - this is one of the oldest surviving bells of this size in Germany. For almost 800 years, Hosanna has remained the city's alarm bell. This is due to the fact that the building was only partially owned by the church, so it could be used by both the city and the university - and used: as an alarm, as a watch tower and as a place for physical experiments (those for which altitude is needed) by the way, is also very unusual.

Freiburger Munster is also famous for organ concerts. In the cathedral there are as many as four organ systems, here the best organists of the world perform, the prices are low - from 6 to 10 EUR (as of February 2015). The poster can be viewed on the official website of the cathedral.

Practical information

Address: Freiburg im Breisgau, Munsterplatz, Freiburger Munster. It is located in the center of the Old Town, all the streets around are pedestrian, you can only reach on foot. It is most convenient to combine the visit to the cathedral with the inspection of Kaufhaus.

The opening hours for the inspection are Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 17:00, and on Sunday from 1:00 pm (possible only outside the church services), some parts of the building open on their own schedule.

Ticket price: 1, 50 EUR (as of February 2015).