A visit to Freiburg, Germany, known as the "Green City! Sustainable Tourism
Hello everyone. It's Minami.
This time, I would like to write about my impressions from my actual visit to Freiburg, one of the most famous cities in Germany, which is renowned as a sustainable country.
Freiburg is located in the southwest of Germany near France.
It is an easy distance to get to from France and from Switzerland! It is a wonderful place to visit as a tourist destination, so please go!
There are actually two places in Germany called Freiburg, but this is the southwestern one. The official name is Freiburg im Breisgau.
Table of Contents
Why is it called Green City - it started with a vast black forest
Have you ever heard of the Black Forest?
It is called Schwarzwald, a vast, sprawling forest with many anecdotes and history.
This is actually where Grimm's fairy tales are based as well.
The above photo was taken when I was there, and wow, even the lake is black!
I thought the forest lived up to its name.
Freiburg: Origins of the Green City and its relationship to the Black Forest
Freiburg is called the Green City not simply because it is green, but because it is rooted in environmentally friendly urban planning and initiatives. Its origins are said to date back to the 12th century.
At the time, Freiburg was a small village surrounded by deep forest. However, its rich natural environment was a blessing to people's lives. Timber was used for construction and fuel, and the forests played an important role as hunting and gathering grounds.
Freiburg achieved rapid development after acquiring city rights in the 13th century. At the same time, however, environmental destruction caused by deforestation began to worsen. Citizens therefore launched various initiatives to protect and sustainably use the forests.
In the 14th century, laws regulating the cutting of forests were enacted. Citizens also actively participated in tree-planting activities to restore and preserve the forests. These efforts protected Freiburg's beautiful natural environment and became the foundation for the livelihood of its citizens.
The Black Forest is a vast forested area northwest of Freiburg. Covering approximately 6,000 square kilometers, it accounts for about 10% of the total forested area in Germany. The Black Forest is known as a precious ecosystem with rich nature and diverse flora and fauna.
The Black Forest is also deeply rooted in traditional German culture and folklore. Many of the Brothers Grimm's fairy tales also take place in the Black Forest.
Freiburg is a city that has developed with the blessings of the Black Forest. Its citizens have been actively involved in the protection and sustainable use of the forest. As a result, Freiburg has become known as one of the best green cities in Germany.
Freiburg as a Green City
Freiburg is actively promoting environmentally friendly urban planning and initiatives. Its main initiatives are as follows
- matured public transportation system: Freiburg has a well-developed public transportation system, including streetcars and buses. Most citizens travel by public transportation rather than by car.
- Use of renewable energy: Freiburg is actively involved in the use of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power. Approximately 80% of the city's total electricity consumption is provided by renewable energy sources.
- Promotion of organic farmingFreiburg is also committed to promoting organic farming. There are many farmers growing organic produce in the city, and citizens can easily purchase fresh organic produce.
- Citizen Participatory Environmental ActivitiesFreiburg is also active in citizen participation in environmental activities. Citizens actively participate in events and workshops on environmental issues.
As a result of these efforts, Freiburg is attracting worldwide attention as a sustainable city that combines a highly environmentally conscious citizenry with environmentally conscious urban planning.
The Black Forest offers a variety of outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, and skiing. There are also many villages where visitors can enjoy traditional wooden architecture and folk art.
reference information
- City of Freiburg official website:. https://www.freiburg.de/pb/205243.html
- Black Forest Tourism Bureau official website:. https://www.schwarzwald-tourismus.info/
- Official website of the German National Tourist Office:. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism_in_Germany
Incidentally, the Black Forest is also famous as the birthplace of the cuckoo clock.
By the way, as it is really hanging on the cuckoo clock, there are pine cones of this elongated shape all over the place in Schwarzwald! LOL
Public institution streetcars are everywhere!
Public institutions are quite prevalent.
This is how people all usually move around!
More public transportation means less frequent use of private cars, which means less carbon emissions.
And in Germany, it has become quite convenient in recent years with the introduction of the Deutsche Land Ticket, which allows you to travel anywhere in the country on a monthly basis for 50 euros.
This will encourage people to use transportation more and more, right? (Although there are many people who have cars as a result as a backup plan for strikes, which are quite frequent as a country...)
Waterways throughout the town.
In fact, Freiburg is a city where you can see waterways as you walk around town.
This is a feature not found in many other German cities, and it is said that in the past it was used as drinking water and for firefighting in the event of a fire.
It's amazing that they used it as drinking water!
It feels great to see water flowing all over town!
If you go there on weekends, you will often see children sailing on this waterway, which is quite relaxing to watch.
This toy mini-yacht is another of Freiburg's typical souvenirs.
To be honest, I am not sure if this is due to ecology or not, but I personally think it is a good strategy to coexist with nature or to think more about it if there are many opportunities to interact with nature in urban areas. I feel that people will recognize the importance of it based on how they are in contact with it on a daily basis. Just like surfers are more aware of ocean conservation.
In fact, Freiburg is said to be quite active in environmental NGO activities. This is probably due to the presence of the Black Forest.
Surprisingly, solar panels are not widely used?
When I visited the site, I felt that solar panels were not as widely used as I had expected.
I think I would rather see solar panels in urban areas in Japan.
In fact, according to my research, about half of the electricity in Germany as a whole will come from renewable energy sources by 2023, but in Freiburg in the early 2010s, it seemed that only about 2% of the electricity was from renewable energy sources. But this 2% is not current information, so I guess it would be different if we look at the latest information... At least as of this writing, I could not find a document that clearly states this. If anyone finds the latest version, kindly let me know.
By the way, Tokyo, Japan will be around 2023.Approx. 20% from renewable energyIt is said so.
I guess we can expect to see more about this city-Freiburg in the future, as they have set goals to achieve 100% renewable energy by 2035 and carbon neutrality by 2050.
Germany does not have so many natural disasters such as earthquakes, so the country seems to be positive about nuclear power generation.
Reference：https://committees.exeter.gov.uk/documents/s12900/PaperTwo-Appendix2.pdf
The stars are so beautiful! You can recognize the richness of nature!
I walked around Freiburg and Aachen at night and saw quite a few stars, as it is a provincial city.
When walking at night, please try to look at the sky!
There are other green cities, like Manheim.
Green cities are not only in Freiburg, but also in Germany as a whole, including Mannheim.
If you visit Freiburg, you should definitely make a trip to Mannheim next. (I'd like to go there too)
At the end: Freiburg is a wonderful place, but I thought Japan is not so far behind in many parts of the world.
When I went to Freiburg, I thought, Japan is not that far behind.
Of course, both have their good and bad points, but it would be nice if we could cooperate and imitate each other's good points.
If any of you are planning to go, I hope you enjoy it!
There are many attractive places to visit near Freiburg, such as Baden-Baden, a luxury spa town, and Strasburg, a French territory in the Black Forest.
Other articles on Germany are available byClicking herefor more details!
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