Background
From the Village of Adelhausen to Annaplatz
How a vanished medieval village became the most village-like square in today's Wiehre.
On the site of today's Mittelwiehre lay, until the late 17th century, the village of Adelhausen, first documented together with the neighboring Wiehre village in 1008. As early as the 13th century a Dominican convent settled here - the Adelhausen convent, first attested in 1236. The medieval parish church survived the Thirty Years' War but later fell victim to fortress construction: after France captured Freiburg in 1677, Louis XIV had the city expanded from 1678 under Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban into a mighty bastioned fortress with eight bastions. The entire village of Adelhausen, church included, was torn down in front of the fortress to clear fields of fire.
Only after the final demolition of the French fortifications did rebuilding begin on the old site. The foundation stone for today's small Baroque church of St. Cyriak and Perpetua was laid in August 1753, with consecration following in March 1755. The designing architect was Johann Baptist Hering (1716-1790), and construction was carried out by Joseph Schauberger (1699-1760). Around this building grew Annaplatz square, which gives the popular name "Annakirchle" its origin.
Until 1813 the area around the church also served as a cemetery. Today the tree-lined Annaplatz with its little Baroque church forms the quiet, almost village-like sub-center of the Mittelwiehre - a direct urban echo of the vanished village of Adelhausen.
