Fribourg Things to Do

A surprising and ecological system is used to operate this funicular since 1899. So the wastewater of Fribourg move the Funi from the Neuveville District up to downtown Fribourg. Ah the eternal power of gravity!

Operating hours:
Mo-Sa: 7.00-8.15AM and 9.30AM-7.00PM
Su: 9.30AM -7.00PM

I love to observe the eternal mouvement of water and mecanics of this Tinguely masterpiece. The fountain has a big round basin in the centre of which sits the fantastic black machine, a firework-like display of iron and water.

The artist Jean Tinguely is born in Fribourg. In 1984 he built this fountain in memory of his friend and Formula1 driver Seppi Jo Siffert, who died in an accident at Brands Hatch in 1971. The two men had previously drawn up plans for a fountain in the 60s.

Two other original fountains could also be found on public place as the Carnival Fountain built in Basel in 1977 and the Strawinsky Fountain in Paris in 1983.

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No matter how often I walk these streets, particularly the streets of L'Auge and Neuveville I am always thrilled to be here.
Three distinct neighborhoods comprise the Old Town, the oldest area referred to as L’Auge is closest to the river and includes the parcel of land located between the Bern Bridge and the St. Jean Bridge, crossing St Jean Bridge in a sort of northern direction you enter into a separate area referred to as the Neuveville district. The area referred to as La Bourg is on the top side of the hill and the area of the city where you will find the Cathedral St. Nicholas, the Eglise des Cordeliers, the train station and a bevy of other attractions that are also important “attractions” of the city.

L’Auge and Neuveville are the original sections of the city that have been occupied since the earliest days of settlement here, built originally along the banks of the River Sarine or Saane(French or German spellings)When you visit here you’ll find a large number of structures that date to the 15th Century as well as homes, a school, some lovely cafes, old churches and wonderfully designed historic fountains. Scholars and tourism officials SAY that up to 200 building facades that date from the medieval era are located here.

Streets are narrow in some cases and cobbled stone. You’ll find a couple of nicely designed “squares” and places to enjoy a nice meal or beverage. It’s a “people” place and you’ll find people coming and going, some car traffic and even a Museum of Puppetry here in the Old Town.
I’ve made brief visits here both in summer and in winter. Both seasons offer different perspectives but the flowers and foliage that you’ll see decorating many of the houses certainly add to the feel of the place and in winter the fountains obviously aren’t functional so if you have choices try to visit during the summer months if you can.

Given its proximity to the river it’s a natural that you’ll cross some bridges on your walkabout in the Old Town including the Bern Bridge, Middle Bridge and le pont de St Jean or St Jeans Bridge, all of which are unique and quite old and different from each other.

If you take the time to cross the Bern Bridge you can easily make your way to see the Bern Gate that dates from between 1270 and 1290 and the Cats Tower, and also the Red Tower that dates from the late 14th Century. These three surviving structures formed a part of the defensive fortifications of medieval Fribourg. A little further up the steep hillside you can see today what remains of the Gotteron Gate, another access to and from the “city” during the medieval era of Fribourg.

Churches that you’ll come across will hopefully include the Headquarters and Church of Knights St Johns Hospitaller. Unfortunately you cannot access this property or at least I couldn’t on the day that I tried but you should know that the “Knights of the Hospital of St. John” originated in about 1099 in relation to the First Crusades. A group of knights that were hurt and recovered from the Siege of Jerusalem devoted themselves to helping the unwell and caring for pilgrims trekking to the Holy Land. This Holly place is connected to the modern day Order of St John which is involved in charity work around the World.

Also try to make time to at least look at the murals that are still visible on the front walls of the Augustinian Monastery. The Mauritius church found inside of the Monastery was built around 1311 .Sadly the doors were locked up and I couldn’t get inside to look around.

Some of the fountains that you can around the Old Town, including the “Fountaine de la Samaritaine” sculpted in 1551 by Hans Gieng and the “Fontaine de Saint Anne” crafted between the years 1557 and 1559 by Hans Geiler as well as the Fountaine de St Jean…a significant component of the Planche Superieur, a large square adjacent to the Commandery of the Knights of St John.

In any event, if you have any interest at all in medieval architecture the Old Town of Fribourg offers you a great opportunity to see one of the best kept secrets of Western Europe and I think if you take the time to explore here you’ll be happy that you did. Take the time and check it out!

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Walking across the Bern Bridge coming from Place de Petite St. Jean if you turn left onto Route des Neigles you will soon arrive at the approaches to the Bern Gate, a significant structure that was so critical in the defensive fortifications of the old city. You can still see the old doors and a portion of the draw bridge, when you walk through the gate you get a sense of the strength of the gate, it’s enormous!
Its really thickly built…the exact dimensions Im not sure.

The Bern Gate dates to the 13th Century and was expanded during the 14th Century, made higher. About that same time the Cats Tower was built to strengthen the defensive integrity of the walls and you can see it standing today just up the hill a little ways from the gate.

A little further up the hill you see the Red Tower, yet another of the towers built here but this one constructed about the same time that the gate was built.

A portion of the defensive walls along here were torn down in the early 1800’s to make way for the completion of the Gotteron Bridge but there is still a fairly large section that can be seen here, connecting the Bern Gate with the Cats Tower.

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Try to keep in mind if you’re walking about to look upwards…you’re bound to see on the sides of buildings sculptures that have been incorporated into the architecture of the structures.

I noticed three in the short time that I had available to me on my last visit to Fribourg in July of 2010

The first one that I noticed was on a house on the Rue De Semaritaine , you’ll see this in the first photo attached here..

The second is not too far from the Cathedral heading back towards the Train Station area where we had parked, the specific address I can’t tell you…and the third is located on a Government building on Ruelle de Saint Nicholas.

The third photo is of a sculpture found on the corner of a Government building just downt he street from 55 Grands Rue.

Finally the fourth photo is of the façade of a former Patricians house, located at 55 Grands Rue, you can see the Coat of Arms of the de Castella Family that once lived here, a family that has been connected to Fribourg since the mid 1500’s.

So…seems trivial perhaps but if you watch for them you can see some interesting sights if you look for them…often in the places where we’d least expect to see them.

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On your walkabout in the Lower Town you are probably going to cross the river on three separate and distinctly unique bridges, Middle Bridge, the St. Jean Bridge, and the Bern Bridge.

All three traverse the River Saane or Sarine at different places. Two of the bridges, the Middle Bridge and the St Jean Bridge are presently constructed of stone, and the third; the Bern Bridge is constructed of wood. Its is thought that the St. Jean Bridge and the Middle Bridge at one time were also constructed of wood and both are thought to have been covered as well. When they were re-constructed in the 1700’s the design was modified and they were both rebuilt using stone.

The Bern Bridge is the most appealing and photogenic, likely because of the wooden construction, and also as it is a covered bridge, similar in design to what we see here in Canada in some places, I think this is my favorite “style” of bridge found here.

This “incarnation” of the Bern Bridge that you see here today is a design that originates from the Baroque era, a truss and heavy wooden beam construction, named the Bern Bridge simply because it was a component of the roadway or track that lead out of the city, through the Bern Gate and onwards to the city of Bern.

It’s the only covered bridge that exists today still in Fribourg, and as I’ve mentioned previously all of the bridges that crossed the River Saane or Sarine were probably covered and likely fortified along both sides. In this modern era during the summer months, the Bern Bridge is decorated with…you guessed it…geraniums; the contrast with the aging wood is always an appealing look.

There is speculation that the first Bern Bridge to exist here at this location was likely not built until about 1253, probably a delayed construction beyond the original settlement date because in this era most bridges were a technological challenge and very expensive to build.

Since then the bridge has undergone a few documented refits and renovations and what stands before you today is from a reconstruction carried out in 1853.

In the first photo attached here you can see the pilings in the center of the bridge, this dates from a reconstruction carried out in the 1600’s comprised of a type of rock, Tufa, found nearby in a river side deposit., Tufa is a type of Limestone which is relatively soft and porous.

Take a close look at the Bern Bridge; I think you’ll appreciate the craftsmanship that’s required to build such a fine structure as this is. No matter how many times I venture into the Lower town I always end up here to enjoy this setting.

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This little museum offers a whimsical interlude and an opportunity to examine a collection of puppets gathered during the World travels of the owners and curators, Jean Bindschedler and Marie Jose Aebi.

Just across the Middle Bridge and just before you enter the Place de Petite St.Jean you'll find this little museum connected to a small cafe named the same....This is why we discovered the museum, we were looking for a place to have a bite to eat.

To see the “meat and potatoes” of the museum you enter the main door and make your way up a flight of steps to the second level of the structure. Here you’ll find a smartly presented assortment of marionettes contained within glass display “booths” that are well lit and grouped according to country of origin and “ethnic” backgrounds.
You’ll see various themed puppets from the countries of China, Africa, India, Canada and the United States, and Indonesia as well as a grouping from the “host” country, Switzerland; all representing a cultural experience and “taste” from each of the exhibited countries puppets!

There is a small theatre where performances happen but none was about to be presented and we didn’t stay for the next showing.

The museum is quite small and receives small funds to operate from the City of Fribourg and the Swiss L’office Federal de la Culture and so in spite of access being “free” it’s suggested that a donation be made and we did this without hesitating. We each happily contributed about 5.00 CHF.

If you’re tired of walking and would like to take a small break and at the same time see something pretty unique, take the time to pop in here and take a look around, its minimal cost and a little bit of fun as well..

The museum is open from Wednesday to Sunday from 1000 until 1700. Mondays and Tuesdays the museum is closed except for tour groups that have made special arrangements.

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This is a “meeting place”, a large old town square if you will, a wide open space found at the bottom of Rue Samaritaine where it intersects with Rue d’Or. Here you can find a small selection of restaurants or cafes to choose from if you would like to enjoy a meal or a beverage here, it makes a good spot to take a break if you’ve been walking for a while which is what we did before continuing our little walkabout.

Just a word of caution though…we discovered that the restaurants that we attempted to have a light snack in ANYWHERE in the Old Town closed they’re kitchens at 1400 or 2:00 PM for a “siesta”, not re-opening until the dinner hour. They did serve beverages though during this time period.

From April until November on the FIRST SATURDAY of the month there is a large FLEA MARKET that operates here so if you’re interested in antiques and knick knacks you could check this out.

Just a stone’s throw up Rue Samaritaine you will find the Fountain de St Anne, a wonderfully crafted work of Gothic Art by Hans Gieng

If you’re passing through on a walkabout take a few minutes here to soak up some ambiance of the Old Town, it’s a really pretty place.