Freiberg, Saxony
| Freiberg | |
 |
|
.png) |
|
 Freiberg
|
|
|
Location of the town of Freiberg within Mittelsachsen district
|
|
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 50°54′43″N 13°20′34″E / 50.91194°N 13.34278°ECoordinates: 50°54′43″N 13°20′34″E / 50.91194°N 13.34278°E |
| Administration | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Saxony |
| Admin. region | Chemnitz |
| District | Mittelsachsen |
| Town subdivisions | 12 |
| Mayor | Bernd-Erwin Schramm (Ind.) |
| Basic statistics | |
| Area | 48.05 km2 (18.55 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 400 m (1312 ft) |
| Population | 41,342 (31 December 2010)[1] |
| - Density | 860 /km2 (2,228 /sq mi) |
| Other information | |
| Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) |
| Licence plate | FG |
| Postal code | 09599 |
| Area code | 03731 |
| Website | www.freiberg.de |
For the southwestern German city, see Freiburg.
Freiberg (i.e. free mountain) is a town in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, and the administrative centre of Mittelsachsen district.
Contents |
[edit] History
The town was founded in 1186 and has been a centre of the mining industry in the Ore Mountains for centuries. A symbol of that history is the Freiberg University of Mining and Technology, often just known as the Mining Academy (Bergakademie), established in 1765 and the oldest university of mining and metallurgy in the world. Freiberg also has a notable cathedral containing two famous Gottfried Silbermann organs. There are two other organs made by Gottfried Silbermann - one at the St. Peter's Church (Petrikirche) and the other one at the St. James' Church (Jacobikirche). The medieval part of Freiberg stands under heritage protection.
The river, Freiberger Mulde, flows through the borough of Freiberg, but not the town itself.
In 1944, a subcamp of Flossenbürg concentration camp, was built outside the town of Freiberg. It housed over 500 female survivors of other camps, including Auschwitz Birkenau. Altogether 50 or so SS women worked in this camp until its evacuation in April 1945. The female survivors eventually reached Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria.
In 1985, Mormons built the Freiberg Germany Temple here because of the large number of members in the region. The Freiberg Germany Temple serves Mormons from all over Eastern Germany and majority of the East Europe.
[edit] Regular events
Every year in Freiberg the Mining Town Festival (Bergstadtfest) is held on the last weekend in June with a procession by the historic Miners' and Ironworkers' Guilds, the so called Miners' and Ironworkers' Parade. The Freiberg Christmas Market takes place during Advent, when a so-called Mettenschicht is held with a parade by the Miners' and Ironworkers' Guilds and the SAXONIA Miners Music Corps. This includes a traditional sermon on the mount in St. Peter's Church and waiting by the miners on the second Saturday in Advent. Firmly established is the potter's gathering on a weekend in the second half of April on the Upper Market (Obermarkt). Every year on the Drei Brüder Schacht mineshaft in the quarter of Zug there is a model steam engine gathering. Other annual events include the Freiberg Art Award and the election of the Mining Town Queen (Bergstadt-Königin).
[edit] International relations
[edit] Twin towns—Sister cities
Freiberg is twinned with:
Wałbrzych, Poland (since 26 June 1991)
Darmstadt, Germany (since 1990)[2]
Delft, Netherlands[3]
Ness Ziona, Israel[4]
Příbram, Czech Republic
[edit] External links
[edit] Notes and References
- ^ "Bevölkerung des Freistaates Sachsen jeweils am Monatsende ausgewählter Berichtsmonate nach Gemeinden" (in German). Statistisches Landesamt des Freistaates Sachsen. 31 July 2011. http://www.statistik.sachsen.de/download/010_GB-Bev/Bev_Gemeinde.pdf.
- ^ Town Twinnings and international relations (from the official city website. Accessed 2008-08-11.)
- ^ "List of Twin Towns in the Ruhr District". © 2009 Twins2010.com. http://www.twins2010.com/fileadmin/user_upload/pic/Dokumente/List_of_Twin_Towns_01.pdf?PHPSESSID=2edd34819db21e450d3bb625549ce4fd. Retrieved 2009-10-28.
- ^ "Twin Cities". Ness Ziona Municipality. http://www.ness-ziona.muni.il/Htmls/English/twin%20cities.html. Retrieved 2008-04-14.
- Cziborra, Pascal. KZ Freiberg. Geheime Schwangerschaft. Lorbeer Verlag. Bielefeld. 2008. ISBN 9783938969052
[edit] External links
Media related to Freiberg at Wikimedia Commons
