Friedrichsturm

Freudenstadt stands on a high plateau at the eastern edge of the northern Black Forest, 591 to 968 metres above sea level. The town was founded in 1599 by Duke Friedrich I of Württemberg after a fire in 1632 and the Thirty Years’ War had destroyed earlier settlements. Its large, almost square market square is one of the most striking features in the region. The town is surrounded by steep valleys such as the Forbach, which flows into the Murg, and the Kinzig, which rises six kilometres to the south and reaches the Rhine near Kehl. To the west the land rises quickly towards the Kniebis pass, where the highest point in the district reaches 968 metres. The town is known for its climatic health resort status and its Kneipp spa treatments. Records from the early 20th century show Freudenstadt had the greatest number of sunny days of any German city, with an average of 64.2 days per year. The annual rainfall is high at 1 681 millimetres, spread evenly through the year, and the average temperature is 7.9 °C. The German Weather Service maintains a station on the Kienberg, while Meteomedia operates further stations on the market square and in Langenwald. Visitors walk through the wide streets of the market square, which is framed by half-timbered houses and arcades. The town centre also includes the Christophstal district, where hydrothermal veins once produced quartz and barite. To the west the landscape rises through dense forests to the Kniebis pass, offering long views across the plateau. The surrounding villages such as Baiersbronn, Seewald and Loßburg are linked by quiet forest paths and small streams that feed the Glatt and the Neckar.