Freiburg.

A view of Oberlinden, in the upper part of the old city in 1999.

In the middle-ages, Schauinsland (a mountain to the South of Freiburg) hosted important silver-mining activities, which contributed to the wealth of the city, and helped pay for the elaborate minster in the background. Today, the mines are long exhausted. As a monument to this aspect of the city's past, a mining trolley was recovered from one of the mines and is displayed outside a jeweller's shop on the left of this picture.

The earliest use of rail vehicles in central Europe can be traced to mining trolleys. The wheel on phlange technology was already known in the 14th Century. Mining trolleys can thus be considered the ancestors of all modern rail vehicles, including 1991 built Duewag car 231 which is approaching on route 1.

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Photo by Andrew Moglestue.

last updated 25.10.01.
counter added 25.10.01