Visit Freudenstadt – 7 ideas for things to do

1. Admire the Market Square

The Freudenstadt Market Square(Marktplatz) is the largest market square in Germany. You’ll be amazed by its immense size when you arrive… and inevitably wonder why such a square was built here. In fact, the town was founded in 1599 by Duke Frederick ^I of Württemberg, who planned to build a castle here but died before the project could be realized.

The town was built in Renaissance style , and arcaded houses line the square: it’s very pretty and pleasant to stroll under the arcades, where you’ll find stores, cafés and restaurants.

It’s not easy to appreciate the size of the square from the ground, as it’s truly enormous and criss-crossed by roads. For a panoramic view, I recommend climbing the Town Hall tower, which is open to the public during Town Hall opening hours. From up there, you can really appreciate its surface area (better than in my photo!).

Another curiosity on the square is the Protestant church: step inside to observe its L-shaped floor plan. The church has two naves that meet at the choir – the first time I’d seen this!

2. Climb the Friedrichsturm

Freudenstadt is a very green town in the heart of the Black Forest. From the town center, you can put on your hiking boots and set off for a walk!

For a panoramic view of the city and the Black Forest, head for the Herzog-Friedrichsturm. You’ll have a lovely nature walk up to the Kienberg (it’s hard to believe you’re only a stone’s throw from the city!) and a great view from the top of the tower!

3. Walking the Chemin des Roses

Freudenstadt is also famous for its Rose Path (Rosenweg), where you can see over 1,000 varieties of roses! Unfortunately, I visited Freudenstadt too early in the season to admire them in bloom, but it must be magnificent.

4. Discover the Kurhaus

The Kurhaus (spa house) was built in 1954 by Ludwig Schweizer. Today, it is a multi-purpose cultural venue , housing a theater, cinema and various events, as well as a peaceful garden.

It’s possible to enter freely, which I highly recommend: in addition to the architecture of the building, the interior spaces and decoration take us back to the 50s! It’s truly magnificent.

5. Visit an old silver mine

Here’s an unusual activity: a visit to an old silver mine dug into pink sandstone, which was in operation from the 15th to the 17th century, extracting silver used to mint coins. The mine is open from May to October (weekends and public holidays).

You can visit three different levels:

• Level 1: 35 m-long, level gallery.
• Level 2: descent (6 m) on steel ladders to the first reel chamber.
• Level 3: descent (30 m) on steel ladders to the 2nd bottom of the reel.

6. Hiking in the Black Forest

As I said, the hiking trails are directly accessible from the town center: a delight for nature lovers and hikers! Another option is to travel to the Black Forest National Park from Freudenstadt, where there are shuttle buses to the park.

7. Stroll through the city

Although Freudenstadt was heavily destroyed by bombing during the Second World War, there are still some beautiful buildings to admire, in addition to the houses on Markplatz. For example, I enjoyed the beautiful houses along Lauterbadstrasse (and the sublime Hotel Palmenwald) and Wölperwiesenweg. And don’t miss the view of the Bärenschlössle, a beautiful Renaissance building that can be admired from the Adlerterrasse.