Viewpoint

Lorettoberg

The 384.5 m local hill of the Wiehre, with the Loretto Chapel, the Hilda Tower and views over Freiburg.

The Lorettoberg rises southwest of the Wiehre to 384.5 meters above sea level and forms the wooded ridge between Unterwiehre-Süd, the Vauban district and the town of Merzhausen. Its eastern slope is loosely built up with Art Nouveau and Wilhelmine-era villas from around 1870 to 1914 and merges into the quarter around Annaplatz. Geologically the hill marks the eastern main fault of the Upper Rhine Rift; the Höllental railway runs beneath the summit through the Loretto tunnel.

About 500 meters north of the highest point, on a spur at 348 meters, stands the Loretto Chapel, a structure endowed by Freiburg citizens in 1657 and made up of three joined chapels, its name referring to the Italian pilgrimage site of Loreto. A few steps to the north stands the Hilda Tower, built in 1886 and roughly 22.6 meters tall, whose viewing platform is open on selected summer weekdays; check dates before visiting. At Predigerplatz, 375 meters up, the view opens over the vineyards toward Merzhausen, the Tuniberg and the Kaiserstuhl as far as the Vosges. The vines on the Lorettoberg are tended by the Freiburg State Winery and by a community-supported vineyard project.

On foot the hill is about 25 minutes from Wiehre station via Mercystraße and Bergleweg; the Zähringer Weg and the Way of St. James also cross the summit. Tram line 3 to Lorettostraße shortens the climb to roughly 15 minutes.