Fribourg,_Switzerland Fribourg,_Switzerland

Fribourg, Switzerland - Definition and Overview

Fribourg (in French: Fribourg, German: Freiburg im Üechtland, Italian Friburgo, Romansh Friburg) is the capital of the Swiss canton Fribourg on the river named Saane (in German) or Sarine (in French).

City of Fribourg coat of arms
Contents

Some numbers

  • Surface: 9.32 km²
  • Height: mean height 610 m; the highest point is the Schönberg (702 m)
  • Population 36.405 inhabitants (2003)
  • Languages: French (ca. 21.240 inhabitants) and German (ca. 8.288 inhabitants)

History

The town was founded in 1157 by Berchtold IV von Zähringen. It is a member of the Swiss Confederation since 1481.

Sights

 river near the city
Enlarge
Saane/Sarine river near the city

As its sister city Bern Fribourg has preserved its medieval center as a whole that is now one of the largest in Europe. Consisting of the neighborhoods Bourg, Auge and Neuveville its old town is rich in fountains and churches dating from the 12th century until the 17th century. Its Gothic cathedral, reaching 76 meters in height, has been built between 1283 and 1490. The fortifications of Fribourg form the most important medieval military architecture of Switzerland: 2 kilometers of ramparts, 14 towers and one big bulwark.

Education

Schools and the University are bilingual French and German. It is possible to follow schools in either language at any level.

Miscellaneous

Canton and capital share the name but have different coat of arms.

External link

  • Official site (http://www.fr.ch/ville-fribourg/) (French & German).

Example Usage of Switzerland

macblue4news: the Swiss people vote for a ban of minarets in Switzerland. It's a vote against the political Islam with sharia law, oppression of women
samcarter1: Switzerland has deceive no minerett in Swizerland and Austria will go the same way.
moriani: The space for tolerance and mutual respect just shrunk with the anti- minaret vote in Switzerland. Then they label Muslims as intolerant?
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