Schneckenvorstadt
Gerberau, Fischerau, Marienstraße and Insel. No other district outside Freiburg's old town has so much medieval flair: this is the only suburb, located just behind Martins- and Schwabentor (Swabian Gate), that was not demolished in the 17th century for the massive fortifications built by the French master builder Vauban.
And so the houses of the former tanners, dyers, butchers and stone cutters can still be seen here, for example in the Gerberau and Fischerau alleyways. In the Middle Ages, the Schneckenvorstadt was the city's commercial district; today it is one of its most charming and popular quarters with small, owner-managed stores and cafés.
The origin of the Schneckenvorstadt's name is disputed: The snail-shaped spiral staircases on the outside of the houses could be the reason, as could the inn "Zum Schnecken", which once stood on today's Holzmarkt. However, the quarter's heraldic animal is not a snail but a crocodile: firmly anchored in the canal between Gerberau and the island, the 400-kilo granite crocodile has been swimming against the comparatively fast-flowing waters of the Dreisam since 2001.
