Fribourg (in German Freiburg), capital of the canton of the same name, is the great stronghold of Catholicism in Switzerland, seat of the Bishop of Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg and of a Catholic University. One of the finest old medieval towns in Switzerland, it lies on the River Sarine
(German Saane), which flows in a deep valley through the Mittelland. The Auge and Bourg quarters leading to the upper town are picturesquely situated, like Berne, above the rocky banks of a bend in the river; in the lower town are the districts of Neuveville on the left bank and Planche on the right bank. Fribourg was founded by Duke Berchtold IV of Zähringen in 1157 and joined the Confederation in 1481.
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