Freiburg, Lower Saxony

Freiburg Freiburg an der Elbe (German) Freiborg an'e Elv (Low Saxon)
Panorama of the town in the early morning fog Panorama of the town in the early morning fog
Coat of arms of Freiburg Coat of arms
Freiburg
Location of Freiburg within Stade district 250px
Coordinates:
Country	Germany
State	Lower Saxony
District	Stade
Municipal assoc.	Nordkehdingen
Government
• Mayor	Walter Wolfkühler (CDU)
Area
• Total	34.11 km2 (13.17 sq mi)
Population (2013-12-31)
• Total	1,873
• Density	55/km2 (140/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	21729
Dialling codes	04779
Vehicle registration	STD
Website	www.nordkehdingen.de

Freiburg (in High German, officially Freiburg an der Elbe; short: Freiburg/Elbe), or Freiborg (in Low Saxon) is a municipality in the district of Stade, Lower Saxony, Germany.

History

File:Freiburg (Elbe) 02 (RaBoe).jpg

View of the town with Evangelical Lutheran St. Wulphardi Church.

Freiburg belonged to the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen, a territory of imperial immediacy established in 1180. In the mid-16th century Freiburg adopted Lutheranism. During the Leaguist occupation under Johan 't Serclaes, Count of Tilly (1628–1630), Freiburg suffered from attempts of re-Catholisation.

In 1648 the prince-archbishopric was transformed into the Duchy of Bremen, which was first ruled in personal union by the Swedish and from 1715 on by the Hanoverian Crown. In 1807 the ephemeric Kingdom of Westphalia annexed the duchy, before France annexed it in 1810. In 1813 the Duchy of Bremen was restored to the Electorate of Hanover, which - after its upgrade to the Kingdom of Hanover in 1814 - incorporated the duchy in a real union and the ducal territory, including Freiburg, became part of the Stade Region, established in 1823.