Freiburg: Germany’s sunniest city with the most town halls
November 15, 2025
Freiburg is not only the sunniest city in Germany, but the capital of the Black Forest also has several town halls. Two of them are located on Rathausplatz, in the center of which stands the monument to the Franciscan monk Berthold Schwarz. He looks down on the hustle and bustle of Rathausplatz from an octagonal fountain made of yellow sandstone. The monk is considered the inventor of gunpowder, but whether he actually mixed it in Freiburg in 1353 remains unclear to this day. The monument, created by sculptor Josef Alois Knittel, bears the dedication: “To the doctor, alchemist, and inventor of gunpowder, erected in 1855 in memory of the fifth centenary celebration.” Whether it makes sense to erect a monument to the monk whose invention brought death to many people is open to question, but it is certainly worth seeing. Next to the fountain on Rathausplatz (Town Hall Square) are the Old and New Town Halls, as the name suggests. The Old Town Hall houses the municipal council offices and the tourist information office in the foyer. This building stands right next to the New Town Hall. Both buildings are connected by a footbridge and are used as the administrative headquarters of the city of Freiburg. Funnily enough, the New Town Hall is older than the Old Town Hall. But Freiburg has another town hall that is much older than these two buildings. The oldest town hall in the city is the Gerichtslaube, which dates back to 1303 and was the city’s first town hall. The Old Town Hall was completed in 1559 and the New Town Hall between 1539 and 1545. The New Town Hall, with its whitewashed exterior, has large windows, balconies, and bay windows in the Renaissance style. The Old Town Hall was also built in the Renaissance style, but shines in sandstone red. Opposite the two town halls is the Roman Catholic parish church of St. Martin. It is dedicated to St. Martin and was built as the monastery church of a Franciscan convent. In 1262, the choir of St. Martin’s Church was built on the former property of Count Konrad, followed by the nave in 1318. This makes St. Martin’s Church the second oldest church building after Freiburg Minster. In 1719, the west facade was adapted to the Baroque style. The church was completely destroyed in 1944 during World War II and rebuilt between 1949 and 1951. The town hall square in its current form was not created until 1845. To make way for it, the cloister of the Franciscan monastery belonging to St. Martin’s Church had to be demolished. Today, the town hall square with its two town halls is a popular place for locals and tourists alike. In summer, numerous cafés with their outdoor seating and park benches around the square invite visitors to linger, and in winter, the Christmas market takes place there.
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