The Mundenhof is located on the western edge of

Freiburg im Breisgau Freiburg im Breisgau or simply Freiburg is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fourth-largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, Mannheim and Karlsruhe. Its built-up area has a population of abou ...

, and is the smallest district in Freiburg, with only 46 residents. The zoo on the grounds of the Mundenhof is well-visited. The municipal garden center is also located on the grounds. The Mundenhof is one of many Green Spaces in Freiburg, which present a major factor in its reputation as a green city.

History

The earliest documented reference to the Mundenhof estate is from 12 September 864. This document was a

deed of gift A deed of gift is a signed legal document that voluntarily and without recompense transfers ownership of real, personal, or intellectual propertysuch as a gift of materialsfrom one person or institution to another. It should include any possibl ...

, in which the owner, a priest named Rumolt, bequeaths the ''Muntichova'' estate unto the

Abbey of Saint Gall The Abbey of Saint Gall () is a dissolved abbey (747–1805) in a Catholic religious complex in the city of St. Gallen in Switzerland. The Carolingian-era monastery existed from 719, founded by Saint Othmar on the spot where Saint Gall had er ...

for agricultural use.Mundenhof
Historisches Freiburg retrieved, 16 January 2015 From 1294 to 1806, the "Mundenhof" estate belonged to the monastery of Günterstal. The monastery was abolished as a result of secularization, and the ''Mundenhof'' was annexed by the

Grand Duchy of Baden The Grand Duchy of Baden () was a German polity on the east bank of the Rhine. It originally existed as a sovereign state from 1806 to 1871 and later as part of the German Empire until 1918. The duchy's 12th-century origins were as a Margravia ...

, which in turn sold it in 1808 to the

University of Freiburg The University of Freiburg (colloquially ), officially the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg (), is a public university, public research university located in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The university was founded in 1 ...

. In 1889, the city of Freiburg purchased a large part of the grounds for agricultural use. After that, the city also purchased a big area surrounding the ''Mundenhof'' to be used for the Freiburger Rieselfelder, a natural water purification plant, which was operated by people living in the ''Mundenhof''. In 1920, this area had to be enlarged to 320 hectares. At that time it was one of the biggest farms in

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million i ...

. In its heyday, it had 400 cows that produced about 400,000 liters of milk. Additionally, pig breeding and crop production were another means of making a living on the ''Mundenhof''. In 1985, the water purification plant was stopped, and the ''Mundenhof'' lost one source of revenue. This and price deterioration made the farm uneconomical, so in order to survive, it was changed into a model ecological farm. This farm covers the demands of all the straw and food for the animals in the enclosure. In 1991, part of the Rieselfelder became the new district of Rieselfeld, covering 18 hectares. Another area was turned into the , which is situated between Rieselfeld and the ''Mundenhof'' estate. Until December 31, 1977, the grounds of the ''Mundenhof'' estate were part of the township of Umkirch, though it technically belonged to the city of Freiburg. On the January 1, 1978, it became fully integrated into the city of Freiburg as a result of a referendum among the residents. In return, Umkirch was given a smaller area, called , to the west of the nearby motorway, the A5.

Zoo

In 1968, the grounds were converted to a small outdoor

zoo A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility where animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes. The term ''zoological garden'' refers to zoology, ...

, called a ''Tiergehege'' in German to differentiate it from larger zoological gardens. It is the largest

, covering 38 hectares. Eugen Keidel, mayor of

at the time, was a strong supporter of the project, and on September 28, 1968, the

was opened to the public.Mundenhof
Homepage des Tiergeheges In 1971 the Fördergemeinschaft Freiburger Tiergehege e.V. (Friends’ association for Freiburg zoological gardens) was founded. Domesticated species from all over the world and some undomesticated species can now be seen at the Mundenhof. A top priority of the Mundenhof zoo is to care for and display endangered domesticated species. The open-air exhibition ground is divided into eight sections, each of which are host to various species specific to particular continents. The zoo is home to

peacocks Peafowl is a common name for two bird species of the genus '' Pavo'' and one species of the closely related genus ''Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae (the pheasants and their allies). Male peafowl are referred to ...

gibbon Gibbons () are apes in the family Hylobatidae (). The family historically contained one genus, but now is split into four extant genera and 20 species. Gibbons live in subtropical and tropical forests from eastern Bangladesh and Northeast Indi ...

crab-eating macaque The crab-eating macaque (''Macaca fascicularis''), also known as the long-tailed macaque or cynomolgus macaque, is a cercopithecine primate native to Southeast Asia. As a synanthropic species, the crab-eating macaque thrives near human settlem ...

emu The emu (; ''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is a species of flightless bird endemism, endemic to Australia, where it is the Tallest extant birds, tallest native bird. It is the only extant taxon, extant member of the genus ''Dromaius'' and the ...

ostriches Ostriches are large flightless birds. Two living species are recognised, the common ostrich, native to large parts of sub-Saharan Africa, and the Somali ostrich, native to the Horn of Africa. They are the heaviest and largest living birds, w ...

alpaca The alpaca (''Lama pacos'') is a species of South American camelid mammal. Traditionally, alpacas were kept in herds that grazed on the level heights of the Andes of Southern Peru, Western Bolivia, Ecuador, and Northern Chile. More recentl ...

yak The yak (''Bos grunniens''), also known as the Tartary ox, grunting ox, hairy cattle, or domestic yak, is a species of long-haired domesticated cattle found throughout the Himalayan region, the Tibetan Plateau, Tajikistan, the Pamir Mountains ...

llama The llama (; or ) (''Lama glama'') is a domesticated South American camelid, widely used as a List of meat animals, meat and pack animal by Inca empire, Andean cultures since the pre-Columbian era. Llamas are social animals and live with ...

s, and many other species. About 30 different species and about 180 individual animals can be observed. The Verein der Aquarien- und Terrarienfreunde e.V. (Friends‘ association of aquariums and terrariums) converted a former horse barn to house 3 terrariums and 12 pools. The pools range in volume from 500 liters (132 US gallons) to 3000 liters (792 US gallons), and they are divided into 5 salt water and 7 fresh water pools. This section of the park is also dependent on donations to exist, because entry is free. The park has many interconnecting paths with various viewing points with views of the city of Freiburg and the surrounding land. There is also a restaurant on the grounds of the Mundenhof, called the Hofwirtschaft. Next to the restaurant is a playground. A further attraction are the storks that nest on the Mundenhof grounds. Their nests are further off, but can easily be observed through binoculars. The zoo is open 24/7. There is no entrance fee, since the zoo is financed by donations, but a parking fee is another source of revenue. Bus line 19 takes visitors to the park.

KonTiKi

KonTiKi is a social program with the goal of bringing nature closer to children aged six and up. These children are given the opportunity to learn about flora and fauna in their free-time, so that they can learn how to treat nature with respect, take up the mantle of responsibility, and gather social experience.

Zelt-Musik-Festival/Tent Music Festival

Next to the Mundenhof zoo grounds is an area where the international

Zelt-Musik-Festival The Zelt-Musik-Festival (ZMF) has taken place every June and July since 1983 in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany. It lasts three weeks and counts up to 120,000 visitors each year. The program is very broad. There is music, art, theater, cabaret and ...

(ZMF) takes place every year. It is one of the oldest events of its kind in Europe. Through its mixture of older and modern, more popular music, the Tent-Music-Festival attracts many music fans. The special feature of the festival is that all the events take place inside big-top tents.

References

External links

Offizielle Website des Mundenhofs

Fördergemeinschaft Freiburger Tiergehege e. V.
{{Authority control Quarters of Freiburg im Breisgau Tourist attractions in Freiburg im Breisgau