Pensionopolis

Last Thursday, Red Baron took part in a guided tour titled: "Von der Bürgerstadt zur Pensionpolis 1800-1914 (From the City of Citizens to a Town of Retired People, 1800–1914)."

None other than Professor Heinrich Schwendemann, the leading expert on Freiburg's urbanization, led a small group from the Haus zur Lieben Hand past the site of the former Katzentor along Wallstraße to the Schwabentor Bridge and back to Johanneskirche.

To begin his tour, Professor Schwendemann presented the Sickinger Plan from 1589.  

Don't forget to click to enlarge.

The map clearly shows Freiburg's old medieval core with the Neuburg suburb attached to the north (left).

To the south (right), toward the Dreisam River, artisans had settled in the Schneckenvorstadt district around an industrial canal that still exists today; they used both water power (for gem cutting) and the water itself, as did the fishers and the tanners. 

Today's names, Fischerau and Gerberau (tanners' meadow), still serve as a reminder, while the tourism industry markets the industrial canal as "Little Venice."

Freiburg had also expanded westward (bottom). The district was named "Lehener" after the nearby village of Lehen, or Predigervorstadt (Preachers' Suburb), after the Dominican monastery built inside and along the medieval city wall.

After the siege and capture of Freiburg by François de Créqui, Freiburg became, along with Breisach, a jewel in the crown of the French king in 1677. Louis XIV wanted to complete the ring of fortresses protecting France and therefore ordered his military engineer, Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, to transform the city into a modern fortress.

A cut from Grundtriß der Statt und Vöstung Freyburg in Preysgau around 1998

To ensure a clear line of fire, Vauban had the Neuburg and the Predigervorstadt demolished, but incorporated the Schneckenvorstadt into his fortress.

Vauban's masterpiece in 1715

Under the Treaty of Rijswijk in 1697, Louis was forced to return the fortress of Breisach and the city of Freiburg to Austria.

The French occupied Freiburg in 1638, 1677, 1713, and 1744 - that is, a total of four times.

Freiburg in 1825

When the French left the city "definitively" in early 1745, they thoroughly demolished the fortifications.

View along Kaiserstraße from the Bertoldsbrunnen to the Martinstor

Freiburg kept its medieval look and scarcely expanded beyond the former fortification belt; instead, the open spaces were used for wine cultivation.

Demolished in 1842

Our group wandered along Vauban's fortification on Wallstraße (Wall Street!) and passed the corner of what is now Kaiser-Josef-Straße, where the Katzenturm once stood. It was demolished in 1842 to make way for the extension of the then-Kaiserstraße between Martinstor and the Dreisam River.

Lerchplan of 1852

A few years later: New buildings along the southern section of Kaiserstraße

The southern section of Kaiserstraße, laid out as a tree-lined avenue around 1870, formed a magnificent entrance to Freiburg through the medieval Martinstor. The stately buildings were mostly official residences for civil servants sent from Karlsruhe to Freiburg. After the Breisgau region became part of the Grand Duchy of Baden, Freiburg became an administrative center. 

Freiburg before 1900

There was no industry in Freiburg, so the city sought financial resources by promoting tourism.

Freiburg in Baden

200 m above sea level with an average temperature of 10.87 °C.
Interesting medieval buildings.
Excellent theater and superb concerts. 

 A university town with a garrison, situated in an incomparably beautiful location on the Schlossberg, offering a famous view of the city and the surrounding area. Surrounded by magnificent forests and high mountains (Schauinsland 1285 m, Feldberg 1495 m). 

 Starting point of the Höllenthal Railway.

Magnificent 13th-century cathedral with the most beautiful Gothic tower. Located on the Gotthard Route, with excellent inns and guesthouses and the most modern social and sanitary facilities, Freiburg im Breisgau is ideal as a stopover on the way to and from Switzerland and Italy, as well as for longer stays.

 
English Church.
Protestant Church

Heavy streetcar traffic between Bertoldsbrunnen and Martinstor

Enter Otto Winterer, Freiburg's second founding father. During his 25 years as Mayor, he embellished the cityscape with a heavy dose of historicism, evoking a medieval atmosphere and capturing the spirit of the times. Since 1901, Freiburg has operated an electric streetcar.

Winterer's grand entrance to Freiburg via the new Kaiserbrücke,
taking the streetcar through the raised Martinstor

According to Winterer's maxime - "a village has roofs; a city has towers" - he had Martinstor and Schwabentor crowned with tall spires.

During the Winterer era, the Freiburg climate was more pleasant than the cold, damp weather on the northern German coast. Wealthy retired people took the train from Hamburg to Freiburg to spend their retirement in the Breisgau metropolis. The city soon earned the nickname "Pan-German Pensionopolis." "Rennars (retired people)" soon make up 20% of households. 

Prof. Schwendemann closed his guided tour with a visit to Johanniskirche*. Red Baron pulled away. It was too hot. Thank you, Heirich, for your inspiring tour.

*In 2024, I dedicated a special blog to the Catholic church built at the end of the 19th century on the other bank of the Dreisam. 

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