FREIBURG, or FRIBOURG, a t. of Switzerland, capital of the canton of the same name, is situated on both banks of the Sarine, but chiefly on a hilly promontory formed by one of its windings, about 18 m. s.w. of Bern. Seen front some distance, the town has a highly imposing and picturesque appearance. Houses climb to the top, and extend to the very edge of the precipice that overhangs the river, and in another portion of the town they form terraces, the roofs of one tier being on a level with the pavement of another; while the whole is surrounded by a long rising and falling line of embattled walls, with watch-towers and gateways of ancient fortifications which still exist in a perfect state. The banks of the Sarine are united by four bridges, one of them a sus pension-bridge, 906 ft long, 23 ft. wide, and 175 ft. above the stream, the longest bridge of a single span in the world—about 300 ft. longer than the .Menai bridge. Another
suspension-bridge spans the gorge of Gotteron, and is about 700 ft. long, and 317 ft. the valley beneath. The church of St. Nicholas, a fine Gothic structure, has an organ built by a native of F., which has 7,800 pipes, one of them 32 ft. long, and is considered the finest-toned instrument in Europe. This church has also the highest spire and finest set of bells in Switzerland. The other principal buildings are the can tonal (previous to 1848 the Jesuits' college), the most conspicuous building of the town; and the Lyceum. The inhabitants of the upper portion of the town speak French; in the lower portion, German is spoken. F. has few manufactures; the chief are woolens, hardware, leather, pottery, and tobacco. Pop. '70, 10,904, of which only 500 are Protestants. •