Freiberg

Freiberg, city, Saxony Land (state), eastern Germany. It lies on the Freiberger Mulde River, at the northeastern foot of the Ore Mountains (Erzgebirge), southwest of Dresden. It was an early influential silver-mining community (founded c. 1190 and chartered early in the 13th century) and the source (1296–1307) of a mining code (Freiberger Stadtrecht), and its name is derived from the extensive mining rights that then belonged to the “free miner.” Until the 16th century it was the largest city, economic centre, and mint of Saxony. The Reformation was introduced there in 1536 by Henry the Pious, who was then a resident. Freiberg suffered severely in the 17th century during the Thirty Years’ War and again during the French occupation from 1806 to 1814.

The silver mines were abandoned as unproductive in 1913; they reopened in 1937 but have been sealed since the late 1960s. Manufactures include machinery, electrical and precision instruments, and porcelain. High-technology firms also contribute to the local economy.

The Altstadt (Old City) has three separate parts: the oldest, the Civitas Saxonum, a maze of alleys around the Nikolai (St. Nicholas) church; the Untermarkt (Lower Market), a merchant district with the modern cathedral at its centre; and the Oberstadt (Upper City), with the town hall and St. Peter’s Church as its notable landmarks. Medieval buildings include the town hall (1410–16), Freudenstein Castle (rebuilt 1566–79), the cathedral (1484–1501) with the noted Goldene Pforte (Golden Portal; 1230) from an earlier church, and parts of the old town wall, notably Donats Turm (Donat Tower). The geologists Clemens A. Winkler and Abraham G. Werner taught at the renowned Freiberg Mining Academy (opened 1765, the oldest of its kind in the world), which is now a technical university. There are also institutes for radium, nonferrous metals, fuel, and leather. Pop. (2003 est.) 44,105.