Freising () is a university

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, and the capital of the Freising (district), with a population of about 50,000.

Location

Freising is the oldest town between

Regensburg Regensburg (historically known in English as Ratisbon) is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the rivers Danube, Naab and Regen (river), Regen, Danube's northernmost point. It is the capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the ...

and

Bolzano Bolzano ( ; ; or ) is the capital city of South Tyrol (officially the province of Bolzano), Northern Italy. With a population of 108,245, Bolzano is also by far the largest city in South Tyrol and the third largest in historical Tyrol. The ...

, and is located on the

Isar The Isar () is a river in Austria and in Bavaria, Germany. Its source is in the Karwendel mountain range of the Alps. The Isar river enters Germany near Mittenwald and flows through Krün, Wallgau, Bad Tölz, Munich, and Landshut before reaching ...

river in Upper Bavaria, north of

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

and near the Munich International Airport. The city is built on and around two prominent hills: the Cathedral Hill with the former Bishop's Residence and Freising Cathedral, and

Weihenstephan Weihenstephan () is a part of Freising north of Munich, Germany. It is located on the Weihenstephan Hill, named after the Weihenstephan Abbey, in the west of the city. Weihenstephan is known for: * the Benedictine Weihenstephan Abbey, founded 7 ...

Hill with the former Weihenstephan Abbey, containing the oldest working brewery in the world. It was also the location of the first recorded tornado in Europe. The city is 448 meters above sea level.

Cultural significance

Freising is one of the oldest settlements in Bavaria, becoming a major religious centre in the early Middle Ages. It is the centre of an important

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...

. Some important historical documents were created between 900 and 1200 in its monastery: *

Freising manuscripts The Freising manuscriptsAlso ''Freising folia'', ''Freising fragments'', or ''Freising monuments''; , , or are the first Latin-script continuous text in a Slavic language and the oldest document in Slovene. Description and origin The manus ...

written in Slovenian, being the first Roman-script continuous text in a

Slavic language The Slavic languages, also known as the Slavonic languages, are Indo-European languages spoken primarily by the Slavic peoples and their descendants. They are thought to descend from a proto-language called Proto-Slavic, spoken during the Ear ...

* Chronicle or history of the two cities by

Otto of Freising Otto of Freising (; – 22 September 1158) was a German churchman of the Cistercian order and chronicled at least two texts which carry valuable information on the political history of his own time. He was the bishop of Freising from 1138. Ot ...

The above and other scripts from that time can be found in the "Bayerische Staatsbibliothek" ( Bavarian State Library) in Munich.

History

Even though archaeological finds show that the area was settled in the late Stone Age and

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

, no proof has been found yet to suggest a continuous settlement until the 8th century AD. Around 700 AD the Frankish Agilolfing dukes built a simple palace on the highest hill in Freising as part of its

Duchy of Bavaria The Duchy of Bavaria () was a frontier region in the southeastern part of the Merovingian kingdom from the sixth through the eighth century. It was settled by Bavarians, Bavarian tribes and ruled by List of rulers of Bavaria, dukes (''duces'') ...

. In 724 AD, the Frankish Saint Corbinian was sent to the Duchy of Bavaria by the Catholic Church to spread Christianity. On the highest hill in Freising, where there was already a simple sanctuary, Corbinian erected a

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

monastery and a school, to help preach the Gospel to the local people. According to his ''Vita'' by Bishop Arbeo, Corbinian was on his way to

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

when his

packhorse A packhorse, pack horse, or sumpter refers to a horse, mule, donkey, or pony used to carry goods on its back, usually in sidebags or panniers. Typically packhorses are used to cross difficult terrain, where the absence of roads prevents the use of ...

was attacked and killed by a wild bear. By divine power, Corbinian ordered the bear to carry his luggage over the

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

. When he finally arrived in Rome he let the bear free. The saddled bear is still the symbol of the city, displayed in the coat of arms, as well as statues and paintings. After Corbinian's death,

Saint Boniface Boniface, OSB (born Wynfreth; 675 –5 June 754) was an English Benedictines, Benedictine monk and leading figure in the Anglo-Saxon mission to the Germanic parts of Francia during the eighth century. He organised significant foundations of ...

established Freising as a Catholic

. Between 764–783, Bishop Arbeo founded a library and a '' scriptorium'' (writing room) at the abbey. The settlement started to become a religious centre. The earliest recorded tornado in Europe struck Freising in 788. The mortal remains of Pope Alexander I are said to have been transferred to Freising in 834. In 996, Freising received city rights from Emperor Otto III. As early as the 10th century, in order to collect additional revenue, monks were sent from Freising down the

River to build a toll bridge on the

Salt Road A salt road (also known as a salt route, salt way, saltway, or salt trading route) refers to any of the Prehistory, prehistoric and Recorded history, historical trade routes by which essential salt was transported to regions that lacked it. Fro ...

between Salzburg and Augsburg. This village would be later known as München (or

, which means 'of the monks'). By 1158, Duke Henry the Lion destroyed the bridge and customs building and built new ones closer to his home further downriver, (near the center of modern downtown Munich), so that he could collect the revenue instead. The construction of the Freising Cathedral in its current Romanesque style started in 1159 and was completed in 1205. The Romanesque wooden ceiling was replaced by a gothic vault in 1481–1483. Freising went through difficult times during the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

. In 1632, the Swedish King

Gustavus Adolphus Gustavus Adolphus (9 December N.S 19 December">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Old Style and New Style dates">N.S 19 December15946 November Old Style and New Style dates">N.S 16 November] 1632), also known in English as ...

came through Freising on his way to Munich. He demanded 30,000 guilders as the sum to protect the city from destruction. Nevertheless, his army sacked the city. Hunger and plague raged when the Swedes invaded the city again in 1646. In 1674, the Church placed a statue of the Virgin Mary in the city square as a sign that war and plague had been overcome. A wave of Witch-hunt, witch hunts and trials broke out from 1715–1717 in Freising, and again in 1721–1723. Most of the accused were child beggars. Several children were executed. In 1802/1803 Bavaria fell under the influence of Napoleonic France in which church controlled lands were secularized. In Freising, the more than thousand-year-old bishopric was abolished. The Roman Catholic Church lost most of its properties and authority over the city. Though the seat of the diocese was moved to Munich in 1821, including the elevation to an archdiocese, Freising has remained the seat of diocesan administration until today. In 1858 the Bavarian Eastern Railway Company built the first railway line from Munich to Freising, Landshut and Regensburg for passenger and rail traffic. Near the end of the Second World War, Allied aircraft bombed Freising on April 18, 1945. By April 30, units of the US Army arrived in Freising. In 1998, Mamdouh Mahmud Salim, also known as Abu Hajir al-Iraqi, a key figure in the founding of

al-Qaeda , image = Flag of Jihad.svg , caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions , founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden , leaders = {{Plainlist, * Osama bin Lad ...

and a trusted associate of

Osama Bin Laden Osama bin Laden (10 March 19572 May 2011) was a militant leader who was the founder and first general emir of al-Qaeda. Ideologically a pan-Islamist, Bin Laden participated in the Afghan ''mujahideen'' against the Soviet Union, and support ...

, was apprehended in Freising. In 2006,

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

visited Freising during a papal visit. He was formerly archbishop of Munich/Freising from 1977 to 1982.

Education and research

Schools

There are several elementary schools in the city of Freising. The St. Korbinian elementary school is located in the city center, the Neustift elementary school in Neustift, the St. Lantbert elementary school in Lerchenfeld and the Paul-Gerhardt elementary school in the north of the city. Another elementary school is the Vötting Elementary School, to which the schoolhouse in Pulling also belongs. Secondary schools include the three secondary schools Neustift, Paul-Gerhard and Lerchenfeld. The first two are located at the sites of the elementary schools of the same names. The Karl-Meichelbeck-Realschule is located in the immediate vicinity of the Paul-Gerhard-Schule. At Guten Änger in Lerchenfeld, the new Montessori school building was opened in 2015 and a second

Realschule Real school (, ) is a type of secondary school in Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia (''realna gimnazija''), the Austrian Empire, the German Empire, Denmark and Norway (''realskole''), Sweden (''realskola''), F ...

in 2018. The Wippenhauser Straße is home to the Wirtschaftsschule and the Fachoberschule/ Berufsoberschule. The oldest of Freising's three high schools is the Dom-Gymnasium on the Domberg. The Camerloher-Gymnasium is one of the few artistic grammar schools. The Josef-Hofmiller-Gymnasium, which emerged from the Dom-Gymnasium, is Freising's largest grammar school. The Freising Vocational School and the Vocational School for Child Care are located in the same building. The latter is a full-time school that trains pediatric nurses in two years. The vocational school for nursing is affiliated with the Freising Clinic. The Weihenstephan State Vocational School for Floral Art offers advanced training to become a state-certified designer for floral art.

Universities

The Freising-Weihenstephan campus is an extensive complex of higher education institutions and research institutes in the western urban area of Freising, in the

and Vötting districts. It has been developed into the so-called "Green Center of Bavaria" for decades and continues to be modernized and designed as a "science and research campus". It includes not only the " Center of Life Sciences", the Weihenstephan Science Center for Nutrition, Land Use and Environment of the Technical University of Munich, but also the most important part of the Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences. The Freising Clinic is an academic teaching hospital of the Technical University of Munich. It is located north of the old town.

Research and education centers

Several research centers have been established in the vicinity of the two universities, i.e. mostly located on campus. The TUM Weihenstephan Research Center for Brewing and Food Quality, the TUM Central Institute for Nutrition and Food Research and the TUM Hans Eisenmann Center for Agricultural Sciences belong to the Technical University of Munich. The Bavarian State Institute of Agriculture and the Bavarian State Institute of Forestry and Forestry are authorities of the Free State of Bavaria. Other non-university institutions include the German Research Institute for Food Chemistry, the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging, DEULA Bavaria and the IZB Freising-Weihenstephan start-up center for green biotechnology. In addition to the natural sciences and technology, there are facilities in the area of religious education. The Institut für Theologische und Pastorale Fortbildung Freising is dedicated to the continuing education of pastoral counselors. The Kardinal-Döpfner-Haus educational center is also located in the former residence on the Domberg. Further offers are provided by the Katholisches Kreisbildungswerk and the Pallotti-Haus, a Christian educational house and therapy center.

Libraries

The oldest library in Freising is the Freising Cathedral Library, located on the Domberg. This was founded by Bishop Arbeo and is the central library of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising and one of the largest church libraries in

. The city library was founded in 1959. The central library of the Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences is located in the Hofgarten in

. Also in

is a branch library of the University Library of the Technical University of Munich.

City archive

The Stadtarchiv Freising is a scientific institution of the city of Freising. It holds documents from the 14th century to the present day. It has existed as an institution since 1909. It is a public institution, open to all citizens and offers a reference library with about 4500 volumes in a reading room. Since 2003, the Freising Municipal Archives have been temporarily located in the "Haus der Vereine" (House of Associations), a barracks building of the Jägerkaserne (Vimy Barracks from 1938), which was built in 1906 and has since been abandoned. It will remain in this listed building until a new building is realized in Fischergasse, east of the former prison.

Twin towns – sister cities

Freising is twinned with: *

Arpajon Arpajon () is a commune in the Essonne department in the Île-de-France region of northern France. The commune has been awarded three flowers by the ''National Council of Towns and Villages in Bloom'' in the ''Competition of cities and village ...

, France (1991) * Innichen, Italy (1969) * Maria Wörth, Austria (1978) * Obervellach, Austria (1963) * Škofja Loka, Slovenia (2004) * Waidhofen an der Ybbs, Austria (1986)

Notable people

(1112–1158), bishop * Mair von Landshut, late 15th-century artist, was a citizen and probably born in Freising *

Georg Eder Georg Eder (6 March 1928 – 19 September 2015) was an Austrian Roman Catholic bishop. Because of his strict conservatism, reported one obituary, he was frequently the center of public controversy. Eder was born in Mattsee and ordained a priest ...

(1523–1587), jurist and historian * Martin Ruland the Elder (1532–1602), physician and alchemist * Johann Stadlmayr (1575–1648), court music director and composer * Benignus von Safferling (1824–1899), Bavarian General and Minister of War * Ludwig Prandtl (1875–1953), physicist * Ernst Kraus (1889–1970), a German geologist * Karl Maria Demelhuber (1896–1988), SS-Obergruppenführer and General of the Waffen-SS * Anton Schlüter (died 1999), tractor manufacturer * Jost Raba (1900–2000), violinist * Karl Gustav Fellerer (1902–1984), a German musicologist * Albrecht Obermaier (1912–2004), German naval officer, last deputy naval officer of the Bundesmarine *

(1927–2022), Pope from 2005–2013 * Karl Huber (1928–2009), German painter and sculptor * (born 1947), Roman Catholic priest and professor of philosophy * Peter Neumair (born 1950), wrestler * (born 1959), German diplomat * Hans Pflügler (born 1960), footballer, former clubs: Bayern Munich - World champion 1990 * Alexander Kutschera (born 1968), footballer * Stefan Diez (born 1971), German industrial designer * Ferdinand Bader (born 1981), ski jumper * Brigitte Wagner (born 1983), wrestler * Maximilian Haas (born 1985), footballer * Maximilian Wittek (born 1995), footballer * Veit Arnpeck (), Bavarian chronicler * Benignus von Safferling (1824–1899),

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

of the Bavarian Army and War Minister * Oskar von Niedermayer (1885–1948), officer and adventurer

Points of interest

* Freising Cathedral * St. Georg Church * Sichtungsgarten Weihenstephan, a notable horticultural garden * Freising Town Hall *

Marienplatz Marienplatz (English language, English: Mary's Square, i.e. St. Mary, Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady's Square) is a town square, central square in the city centre of Munich, Germany. It has been the city's main square since 1158. History During ...

File:Freisinger Dom (von St. Georg).jpg, Freising Cathedral File:Freising Dom St. Maria & Korbinian Innen 05.JPG, Cathedral interior File:Freising residenz.jpg, Bishop's Residence File:Freising marienplatz.jpg, Town Hall and St. George's Church File:Alte Poststraße 42 St. Peter und Paul Freising-5.jpg, Neustift Abbey File:Freising - Lyceum.jpg, Asam Building File:Brauerei Weihenstephan.jpg, Weihenstephan Brewery File:Hofbraeuhaus freising.jpg, Hofbrauhaus Brewery

Sports

Freising has 4 sport clubs: SE Freising, SV Vötting-Weihenstephan, SC Freising, and SG Eichenfeld.

References

External links

* *
Bavarian state library

Freising during the Third Reich
{{Authority control Freising (district)