Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Borneo orangutan
Malaysia • 12 days, 11 nights
Wild Borneo: Secrets of an Ancient Rainforest
from
Pastel de nata
Portugal • 8 days, 7 nights
Portugal: A Culinary Adventure from Porto to Lisbon
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The Ravne tunnels.
Ravne Tunnels
Colors and volumes in the patio.
Monterrey’s Contemporary Art Museum (MARCO)
Inside Wonderwerk Caves, underground caves and excavation, Kuruman, Northern Cape
Wonderwerk Cave
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Burros Alfa and Beto, seen here with Luis Soriano in 2008, have been helping the teacher deliver books for more than 20 years.
How One Man and His ‘Biblioburro’ Spreads Literacy in Rural Colombia
Price Tower
What Happened to Price Tower, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Only Skyscraper?
Jeremy Bentham’s Auto-Icon in its new location in 2020
The Jeremy Bentham Auto-Icon: Why This Legendary Philosopher Put His Own Body on Display
The truth is out there—somewhere.
The Truth Is Out There at the Dreamland Resort (or Should We Say ‘Area 51?’)

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Germany Freiburg im Breisgau Freiburg Bächle

Freiburg Bächle

These paved rills bring freshwater into Altstadt and could spell wedding bells for whoever stumbles into the waters.

Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany

Added By
Alan Newman
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Freiburg Bächle   Rob Faulkener
Freiburg Bächle   Jörgens mi
Freiburg Bächle   Philip Herzog
Freiburg Bächle   Donnareiskoffer
Freiburg Bächle   lindacolsh / Atlas Obscura User
Bächle 2019   astrohans / Atlas Obscura User
Bächle 2019   astrohans / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

These rectangular, cross-sectioned and stone-lined channels have been carrying water from the river Dreisam through the Altstadt, German for "Old Town," for centuries. The channels have been around since at least 1250, but it's believed they may be older, and were around during the mid-twelfth century. 

The first mention of these unique little canals comes from a written account from around 1220. In it, Count Egon I of Freiburg gave the Tennenbacherhof monastery permission to use a field that was irrigated by the waterway. It's believed that the Freiburg Bächle was not only used to bring water to the city, but also helped water animals and fight fires. 

The rapidly flowing water is cool, crisp, and clean. It's not uncommon to spot a group of children racing boats in the water, or a few adults cooling their feet in the waters during summer days. 

The occasional accident does occur at these channels, as people have tripped and fallen into the waters. This became so commonplace at one point, a legend arose that if an unmarried person fell into one of the runnels, they were destined to marry a Freiburger.

While these channels are currently clean and wholesome, it's easy to imagine that the opposite was the case during the unsanitary Middle Ages. However, this may be far from the truth. Since the canals of the Freiburg's Bächle were used as drinking water, harsh penalties were implemented to prevent residents from ruining the city's gutter system and water supply. 

Related Tags

Infrastructure Ancient Waterworks Water History & Culture

Community Contributors

Added By

Dr Alan P Newman

Edited By

Edward Denny, jecathey, lindacolsh, astrohans

  • Edward Denny
  • jecathey
  • lindacolsh
  • astrohans

Published

February 18, 2020

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Freiburg Bächle
5 Rathausgasse
Freiburg im Breisgau, 79098
Germany
47.994153, 7.849989
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Martinstor McDonald's

Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany

miles away

Krokodil im Kanal

Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany

miles away

Haus zum Walfisch

Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Freiburg im Breisgau

Freiburg im Breisgau

Germany

Places 8
Stories 1

Nearby Places

Martinstor McDonald's

Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany

miles away

Krokodil im Kanal

Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany

miles away

Haus zum Walfisch

Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Freiburg im Breisgau

Freiburg im Breisgau

Germany

Places 8
Stories 1

Related Places

  • Diokletian Aqueduct

    Split, Croatia

    Dioklecijanov Akvadukt (Diocletian Aqueduct)

    This ancient Roman aqueduct once funneled water to Diocletian's palace.

  • The cisterns of Tawila.

    Aden, Yemen

    Cisterns of Tawila

    This impressive system of tanks was used to store drinking water as long as 2,000 years ago.

  • Underground reservoir

    San Juan, Philippines

    El Deposito Underground

    The largest Spanish artifact built in the Philippines and one of the oldest underground reservoirs in the world.

  • De Kwal (The Jellyfish)

    Castricum, Netherlands

    De Kwal (The Jellyfish)

    This jellyfish provides clean water for an entire Dutch province.

  • Ottoman Fountain 1 (primary fountain identified in site address)

    Nafplio, Greece

    Ottoman Fountains of Nafplio

    Public water fountains built during the Ottoman Era still stand throughout this seaside town.

  • Gea de Albarracín, Spain

    Albarracín-Cella Roman Aqueduct

    This ancient tunnel is one of the most important examples of Roman hydraulic engineering in Spain.

  • Hall Hill Troughs.

    Eyam, England

    Hall Hill Troughs

    One of the U.K's earliest public water supplies is within the "plague village."

  • Washington, D.C.

    Washington Aqueduct Emergency Pumping Station

    These abandoned waterworks are crumbling into the Potomac River.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.