| Freistadt | |
| Coat of arms | Location |
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  |
| Administration | |
| Country |  Austria |
|---|---|
| State | Upper Austria |
| District | Freistadt |
| Mayor | Christian Jachs (ÖVP) |
| Basic statistics | |
| Area | 12.88 km2 (5.0 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 560 m (1837 ft) |
| Population | 7,437 (1 January 2008) |
| - Density | 577 /km² (1,495 /sq mi) |
| Other information | |
| Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) |
| Licence plate | FR |
| Postal code | 4240 |
| Area code | 07942 |
| Website | www.freistadt.at |
| Location of Freistadt within Freistadt district | |
 Coordinates: 48°30′42″N 14°30′22″E / 48.51167°N 14.50611°E |
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Freistadt (literally "Freetown") is a small Austrian town in the state of Upper Austria in the region Mühlviertel. With a population of approximately 7,500 residents, it is a trade center for local villages. Freistadt is the district commission of the same named District Freistadt. The nearest sizeable cities are Linz, the capital of Upper Austria, about 40 km in the south, and České Budějovice, the capital of Southern Bohemia, about 60 km in the north.
Freistadt was an old medieval town (founded around 1220) that separated the Habsburg and Bohemian lands. It was a crossroad of the salt and iron trade route during the Middle Ages from the Danube to Bohemia. The outer and inner walls, towers and gates of the old city, build mainly between 1363 and 1393 still exist today.
The main entrance to the Old Town is through the Linzer Tor (Linz Gate). The spacious Hauptplatz (main square) is surrounded by painted fronts of renovated burghers' houses. On the highest point of Freistadt stands the parish church of St Catherine (14th-15th century, remodelled in Baroque style in 1690 and rebuilt in Gothic style in 1967); note in particular the interlaced ribbed vaulting in the roof of the choir. At the northeastern corner of the square a gateway leads to the 14th century Schloss Freistadt, with a 50m/165ft high keep which now houses the Mühlviertler Schlossmuseum, a local museum with a large collection of verre églomisé (glass decorated with a layer of engraved gold). Outside the Böhmertor (Bohemian Gate) stands the little 15th century Liebfrauenkirche with beautiful "pillars of light" of 1484.
 Linz Gate (Linzertor) |
 Bohemian Gate (Böhmertor) from the inner side |
 Bergfried of the Castle |
.JPG) Dechanthof Tower (and Dechantyard) |
 Parish Church of St Catherine |
 Pillars of Light from 1484 |
 Verre églomisé from the Museum |
 Burghers' House nearby the Main Sqare |
External links
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