Fribourg

Fribourg is the third largest city in French-speaking Switzerland, with a current population of almost 40,000. Situated on both sides of the Saane in the Swiss Mittelland, Fribourg is an important economic, administrative and educational centre with a bilingual university on the cultural border between German- and French-speaking Switzerland.

The Natural History Museum Freiburg was founded in 1873 and is now located next to the Botanical Garden. In the Museum of Art and History, you can see important collections from prehistory and early history, archaeology, sculpture and painting, traditional pewter figures, arts and crafts, as well as coin and graphic collections.

Other museums include the Art Gallery Fri-Art, the Swiss Figure Theatre Museum, the Swiss Sewing Machine Museum, the Gutenberg Museum of the Swiss Graphic Industry and the Cardinal Beer Museum. The cantonal and university library of Fribourg also has changing exhibitions. The university has the small Bible and Orient Museum in the Miséricorde.

Since December 2011, Fribourg has had the Équilibre cultural centre for theatre, concerts, opera and dance. It presents its programme in cooperation with the Nuithonit theatre in Villars-sur-Glâne. They organise the annual FriScènes festival.

In Freiburg there are various cultural events. In addition, contemporary art finds its place in the art-offspace WallRiss, as well as electro and rock music in Fri-Son. Other venues for youth and student culture are the Centre Fries, the Cafe de l'Ancienne Gare or the jazz club La Spirale. Up-to-date music is also on offer at the Bad Bonn Kilbi Festival in neighbouring Düdingen and the festival Les Georges.

The city of Fribourg is a magnet for day-trippers who want to see the sights of the city. Tourist attractions include the historic old town on its prominent spur above the Saane valley with the Gothic Cathedral of St. Nicholas with the famous stained glass windows by Józef Mehoffer and the museums.