Freiberg

Charming Saxony mining town with historic technical university

Freiberg is a small town in the Free State of Saxony, East Germany. The town has a rich and proud mining heritage which stretches back over eight centuries and is celebrated each year during the Freiberg Mining Festival. The city’s medieval old town is beautifully preserved and in the evening it is alive with bars and restaurants.

More about Freiberg

Freiberg has a population of 40,000, of which 4,500 are students enrolled at the town’s single university, Freiberg University of Mining and Technology. The historic town was founded in 1186.

Studying and Working in Freiberg

Freiberg is home to the world’s second oldest university for mining and metallurgy. The university, which dates back to 1765, is the leading institute for studying geoengineering in Germany. The campus of the university is located to the north of the town where many excellent facilities are found. Students also enjoy easy access to the small but lively city center. The university has a strong global outlook with almost 1 in 4 students coming from abroad. Students can enroll in a number of English-taught programs.

Whilst mining is still an aspect of the town’s industrial landscape, Freiberg today is a growing hub for high technology, a key location in the network of tech and IT companies known as ‘Silicon Saxony’. The university has close ties with regional industry and also supports students after graduation through the Alumni network.