The Münster church stands in the center of Freiburg. It is one of the only medieval buildings that survived the destruction of the city during World War II. Building of the church started around 1200 and was not completed until the 16th century, resulting in an intriguing combination of Romanesque and Gothic building styles. 90% of the church building is original, and Catholic mass and organ concerts occur weekly.
All around the medieval church, a market takes place Monday-Saturday mornings. The market runs all year long. The prepared food and farmers’ market is on one side of the church, and the handcrafts stands are on the other side of the church.
Almost every stand with prepared food sells different types of German sausage on Brötchen, which are a German specialty similar to bread rolls. The classic Freiburg sausage is the “lange rote.”
The farmers’ market has numerous stands with produce, flowers, and plants. During the week, most of the stands have only produce or flowers. But, on Fridays and Saturdays, there are also stands with meat, cheese, bread, olives, and spices.
The handcrafts side of the market has numerous stands with wood crafts, typical to the Black Forest area. The entire marketplace is in the cobblestone square surrounding the church, and hundreds of people go to the market every day. Many locals do their regular produce shopping at the market, and many students, professionals, families, and tourists buy their lunch at the market every day.