Minster Freiburg

The Freiburg Minster, officially the “Minster of Our Lady of Freiburg”, was begun in the Romanesque style and largely completed in the Gothic and late Gothic style. Construction began around 1200 and ended in 1513. As part of the establishment of the ecclesiastical province of Freiburg, it was elevated to the seat of the Archdiocese of Freiburg in 1827. This made the Freiburg Minster officially a cathedral, although it is traditionally still referred to as a “minster”.

In a series of lectures on the 116-meter-high tower in comparison with Basel and Strasbourg, the art historian Jacob Burckhardt said in 1869: “And Freiburg will probably remain the most beautiful tower on earth” – art historians around the world praise the Freiburg Minster with its striking west tower as an outstanding example of Gothic architecture – but judge for yourself – you have a great view of the Minster from Oberkirch.