Freising

Freising
Domberg (cathedral hill) Freising

Coat of arms
Freising
Location of Freising within Freising district
Coordinates: 48°24′10″N 11°44′56″E / 48.40278°N 11.74889°E / 48.40278; 11.74889Coordinates: 48°24′10″N 11°44′56″E / 48.40278°N 11.74889°E / 48.40278; 11.74889
Country Germany
State Bavaria
Admin. region Oberbayern
District Freising
Government
 • Lord Mayor Tobias Eschenbacher (FSM)
Area
 • Total 88.45 km2 (34.15 sq mi)
Elevation 448 m (1,470 ft)
Population (2017-12-31)[1]
 • Total 48,318
 • Density 550/km2 (1,400/sq mi)
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes 85354, 85356
Dialling codes 08161
Vehicle registration FS
Website www.freising.de

Freising is a town in Bavaria, Germany, and the capital of the Freising district, with a population of 45,227.

Location

Freising is north of Munich, near Munich International Airport, on the Isar river and two hills, the cathedral hill with the bishop's castle and Freising cathedral, and Weihenstephan Hill with Weihenstephan Abbey, the oldest working brewery in the world. It was also the first recorded place of a European tornado.

The city is 448 meters above sea level. Freising is located on the Isar halfway between Munich and Landshut in Upper Bavaria; 33 km northeast of the state capital Munich.

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 Some important historical documents were created between 900 and 1200 in its monastery:

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 Bronze Age, no proof has been found yet to suggest a continuous settlement until the 8th century Frigisinga. Saint Corbinian settled at a shrine that already existed at Freising in 724. He was the forerunner of the diocese of Freising, established after his death by Saint Boniface. According to his Vita by Bishop Arbeo he ordered a bear to carry his luggage over the Alps after it had killed his packhorse. The saddled bear is still the symbol of the city, displayed in the coat of arms. Though the seat of the diocese was moved to Munich in 1821, including the elevation to an arch-diocese, Freising has remained the seat of diocese administration until today.

Between 764-783, Bishop Arbeo founded a library and scriptorium at the abbey. The settlement started to become a religious centre.

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. However, after the "(...) destruction of the episcopal bridge, custom houses, mint, and salt works near Oberföhring by Duke Henry the Lion, who transferred the custom houses and bridge site to the upper part of Oberföhring, placing them in the village of Munich on the Isar" (Lins, Catholic Encyclopedia, 1913) in 1158, Freising started to lose its economic significance. In 1159, the romanesque cathedral was constructed (with a notable animal column in the crypt).

In the secularization of 1803, the Roman Catholic Church lost most of its properties and authority over the city.

Politics

The Lord Mayor of Freising is Tobias Eschenbacher. The majority of seats in the city council are held by the so-called "Free Voters" (FW). The distribution of seats in Freising's city council can be seen in the following diagram:

Freising city council: yellow = FDP (1), black = CSU (4), light blue = Free Voters (8), orange = ÖDP (3), grey = Independent (1), dark blue = FSM (8), red = SPD (5), green = Greens (8), dark red = The Left (2)

Education

Schools include:

Universities include:

See also

Twin towns

Freising is twinned with:

Famous citizens

Points of interest

References

  1. ↑ "Fortschreibung des Bevölkerungsstandes". Bayerisches Landesamt für Statistik und Datenverarbeitung (in German). September 2018.
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