How the sewers of a German town became a vacation spot (7 photos)

Today children splash in the city's canals, but they once gave off a stench.





Residents of Freiburg travel to Switzerland for work and to France for weekends. There is one interesting attraction here: streams of clean water run throughout the city.



There are canals along the roads and sidewalks here: on hot summer days, residents like to dip their feet in them to cool off, and children splash in the water. Local wisdom says that if one of the guests falls into a stream, he will definitely marry a Freiburger.

Sewage that is several centuries old

The Freiburg streams are one of the most famous drainage systems in Germany. Freiburg is located on a slope, and the groundwater in the city is very deep, which is why access to water has always been difficult. Freiburg is located on the banks of the Dreisam River, and in the 12th century, wooden canals were laid right in the center of the streets, through which river water began to flow into the city.





One of the few streams that is still located in the center of the street. Photo: wikipedia.org

Soon these streams became an integral part of the urban landscape.

Streams were used for various purposes: they were watering places for animals, water was taken from here for irrigation and extinguishing fires, and of course they were used as drains.



Because of this, sewage entered the water, so that in the Middle Ages Freiburg streams were not as clean as they are today. In the 14th century, the discharge of sewage was limited: waste could only be thrown into streams at night. This didn't change the situation much, and the city still looked disgusting.



At that time, the scientist Erasmus of Rotterdam from Holland visited Freiburg, and he wrote that “great uncleanness reigns” in the city. According to him, butchers drain blood into the streams, cattle drink from the water, and people who do not have a toilet use the streams for their needs.

A sewer that has become a tourist attraction

In the 16th century, it was forbidden to pollute the city streams of Freiburg, and soon the water in them was cleared. Today the length of the streams is approximately 16 kilometers, and more than half of them are laid on the surface.



The city was rebuilt many times, but local residents did not want to give up their streams, which became the symbol of the city. When they began to rebuild the roads, the streams were moved: some were directed underground, others were moved to the edges of roads and sidewalks.



Of course, now everyone is trying to keep the canals clean, so the water in them is clear, and the Freiburg streams have become a local landmark. Many German cities have also had a similar drainage system for centuries, but the streams of Freisburg are the most famous.