West tower
Lace-like spire.
Calips — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Gerd Eichmann — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikiolo — CC BY 4.0 · Gerd Eichmann — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Andreas Schwarzkopf — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Andreas Schwarzkopf — CC BY-SA 4.0
Freiburg Minster is a Gothic church of red sandstone in the centre of Freiburg, at the edge of the Black Forest in south-western Germany, close to the French and Swiss borders. It stands in the wide Minster Square at the heart of the old town. Work began around 1200 and went on for more than three centuries, with the last part finished in 1513. Its best-known feature is the west tower, about 116 m tall, with a spire of stone tracery like lace, which the historian Jacob Burckhardt called the most beautiful tower on earth. The original medieval tower still stands. The tower can be climbed by a long staircase to a platform looking over the rooftops of the old town and the hills of the Black Forest. A daily market of vegetables, flowers and local produce fills the square around the minster on weekdays. Small water channels called «Bächle» run along the streets of the old town. Entry to the minster is usually free outside services, and the tower climb is paid. The nearby Schlossberg hill looks over the minster and the whole city.
Lace-like spire.
On weekdays.
City views.
Münsterplatz, Freiburg, Germany
Yes, for a fee.
Weekday mornings.