Fribourg, or Freiburg if you prefer, is the capital of the canton of the same name. Officially, the canton of Fribourg is bilingual (German and French are the official languages), but in the city itself around 70% of the inhabitants speak French, which can be heard on the street.

The city is very interesting in terms of architecture. Therefore, I strongly encourage you not to rush on this section of the trail, but rather to get off the marked route and wander around the old town. Lovers of old tenement houses and narrow streets will certainly be satisfied.

The town’s location on the Saane River, surrounded by steep slopes, also adds to its appeal.

St. Nicholas Cathedral

What catches the eye from afar is the tower of St. Nicholas Cathedral. The cathedral was built in stages, and it took a total of more than 200 years, from 1283 to 1490. Interestingly, the beautiful stained glass windows are by the Polish painter and graphic artist Jozef Mehoffer (1869 – 1946).

The city has, of course, much more to offer, but it takes time to see everything. It is best to set aside a whole day for this. Our aim, however, was to walk in the beautiful surroundings, so we continued on our way.

Gotteron Gorge

The next stage of the route leads through the Gotteron Gorge. It is surrounded by high, vertical rock walls. Along the way, you pass old mills, a farm pond, as well as numerous benches and barbecue areas. There are quite a few steps and wooden bridges that give the place an unusual look.

After leaving the gorge, the trail continues between fields and pastures, but this is not the end of the attraction.

At the small, but richly decorated exterior, the Lorette chapel offers a fantastic aerial view of the entire town. It is even hard to tear yourself away from this view.

The “Maigrauge” dam

Then, just down the road is the “Maigrauge” dam, which was built between 1870 and 1872 to the design of engineer Guillaume Ritter. At the time, it was the first concrete dam in Europe.

Engineer Ritter had big plans for the site. He wanted to build hotels and railways leading to the surrounding peaks and organise cruises. Unfortunately, he overestimated his investment and went bankrupt.

The dam itself is not as impressive, in terms of size, as other dams in Switzerland. It is only 21 metres high. Nevertheless, the surrounding area is attractive.

Today, the reservoir is used for energy production in two power plants. The first is located right next to the dam and the second behind the Bourguillon hill.

Finally, a walk through the streets of Fribourg, or Freiburg if you prefer, and back home by train.