Freiberg, the first free mining town in Germany, lies 30km/20mi east of Chemnitz at the foot of the Eastern Erzgebirge, on a plateau above the Freiberger Mulde. Once the most populous town in the Margraviate of Meissen, Freiberg, with its silver mines, was a great source of wealth for the rulers of Saxony.
Freiberg's greatest attraction is the Cathedral, a Late Gothic hall-church (1485-1501), with remains of its Romanesque predecessor and the famous "Golden Gate" (Goldene Pforte; c. 1230). The interior is richly furnished, with the "Tulip Pulpit" (by Hans Witten, 1508-10), the "Miners' Pulpit" (1638) and a Silbermann organ (1711-14), the oldest and largest of the surviving Silbermann organs in Saxony.
In the Obermarkt are the Late Gothic Town Hall (Rathaus; 1470-74, with later rebuilding), with the Lorenzkapellle (St Lawrence's Chapel), and the Kaufhaus at Obermarkt 16 (Renaissance; 1545-46). The Schönlebehaus at Obermarkt 1 is a large three-story patrician house of the early 16th century. A house at Obermarkt 17 has the finest Early Renaissance doorway in Freiberg (1530).
7km/4.5mi south of Freiberg on B 101 is Brand-Erbisdorf, with the Huthaus zum Reussen (1837). In the Late Gothic parish church is a life-size figure of a miner (by S. Lorentz, 1585). Southeast of the town lies the Erzenglerteich, an artificial pond created to provide a water supply for the mines.
The Petrikirche (St Peter's Church; 1404-40) in Freiburg, a Late Gothic hall-church, has a Silbermann organ (1716-17), as has the neo-Gothic Jakobikirche (St James's Church; 1890-92).
20km/12.5mi southeast of Freiberg is Frauenstein, with remains of a castle which was burned down in 1728, including the north tower (known as Dicker Merten, "Fat Martin"), the south tower and the ruins of the "palace" (residential quarters).
Below the castle is the Renaissance Schloss (by H. Irmisch, 1585-88), now housing a museum. There is also a Heimatmuseum, with a collection on the life and work of the celebrated organ-builder Gottfried Silbermann (b. 1683 in Kleinbobritzsch, near Frauenstein; d. 1753 in Dresden).
In the Untermarkt in Freiberg is the Domherrenhof (Canons' Lodging; 1484), a Late Gothic patrician house now occupied by the Municipal and Mining Museum.
Address: Muncipal and Mining Museum, Am Dom 1, D-09599 Freiberg, Germany
At Waisenhausstrasse 10, near St Peter's Church in Freiberg, is the Natural History Museum, which, among other things, illustrates the effect of mining on the landscape.
The history of mining in the town is recalled by a demonstration mine ("Alte Elisabeth"; c. 1850), the old Abraham pit (c. 1840) and the Freiberger Hammerwerk, an ironworks of around 1600.
The Silver Mines of Freiberg were mined between the 14th and 20th centuries. Visitors can now take a trip down the mineshaft and discover its history of mining over the centuries.
The whole of Freiberg's old town, with its well preserved houses, is protected as a national monument. In the pedestrian zones visitors will find many interesting old architectural details (buildings, keystones, doorways, reliefs) as well as modern features, including fountains and emblems of craft guilds.
Read More
Read Less
