To the Red Bear

The rattling of horse-drawn carts can be heard from afar. Early in the morning, merchants from the northern Black Forest pass the Dreisam Bridge and the Schwabentor gate to offer their goods in Freiburg. They hurry from store to store along the Salzstraße, which is decorated with ornate cast iron lanterns and wrought iron store signs. Hanmann Bienger stands in the doorway of his inn Zum Roten Bären and watches the hustle and bustle. A large, golden bear is emblazoned above him. Bienger welcomes his guests personally and treats them to Baden delicacies and wine after their long working day. It must have been something like this over 700 years ago when merchants came to Germany's oldest inn for refreshments. For 51 generations now, the landlords of the Zum Roten Bären inn have been feeding their hungry and thirsty guests - even today. Old town maps, photos and documents on the walls of the parlor bear witness to days gone by. Of course, a lot has changed over the centuries. Before the French troops left Freiburg in 1744, they blew up the fortifications on the nearby Schlossberg. The Romanesque-Gothic arcade house 'Zum Roten Bären' was badly damaged and redesigned in the Baroque style. Despite numerous conversions and extensions, the floor plan was always retained. Experience the charm of the old inn over dinner and get up close and personal with centuries of history in the ancient cellar.