text:
Talk:Nature versus nurture

Wiki Education assignment: Personality Theory
— Assignment last updated by Adwf2 (talk) 21:07, 29 March 2023 (UTC)

doesn't make sense
"The role parental genetic hereditability on offspring personality is negligible. Moreover, no single gene is specific to a certain trait but rather combination of genes that collectively influence someone's personality trait.  Molecular genetic techniques have been able to guess what genes do what for the most part but it is mainly about guessing averages rather than precise data.  Alternatively, we can see that "genetic factors can be amplified or diminished due to environmental conditions or constraints".  Genetic code is passed on to offspring however personality is not directly and relies heavily on surrounding conditions of an individual's life."

This paragraph is incorrectly worded, and, as far as I can understand it, factually seems to contradict what is said above it. I propose to delete it, and will do so if no objections come. Backep1 (talk) 12:30, 13 May 2023 (UTC)

 * It's very poorly worded, support deletion or adjustment to match the source. Zenomonoz (talk) 12:28, 28 May 2023 (UTC)
 * Thank you Zenomonoz for the confirmation. I've now deleted the paragraph. Backep1 (talk) 07:35, 30 May 2023 (UTC)

Revert and deletion
Generalrelative, why have you made your recent changes? Can you explain why you don't think the additions are WP:DUE?

Specifically, I am referring to these reverts:

Surely, the photo is relevant, and Robert Plomin and MIT Press are reliable, notable sources. And a discussion of Trofim Lysenko is also certainly relevant.

For those who want to know, the photo and caption (pictured at right) were deleted, along with a sentence about Lysenko as well as a brief discussion about the political dimensions of the debate.

Wiki Crazyman (talk) 19:34, 9 June 2023 (UTC)

 * Yes why is material on Lysenko being deleted? It's absolutely relevant. This is blatant POV pushing. Restoring after six days of silence.Robert Watermeyer (talk) 06:11, 15 June 2023 (UTC) Obvious WP:BLOCKEVASION is obvious. Generalrelative (talk) 12:38, 19 June 2023 (UTC)
 * WP:ONEWAY. This is an article about a controversy within science, and there is no need to drag nutcases in.
 * And the illustration illustrates nothing relevant. --Hob Gadling (talk) 08:28, 15 June 2023 (UTC)
 * Robert Watermeyer is someone else. If you don't believe me, feel free to check our IP's. Wiki Crazyman (talk) 21:49, 15 June 2023 (UTC)
 * Why are you telling me that? Are you imagining, for some unfathomable reason, that I suspected him to be your sockpuppet? Weird. --Hob Gadling (talk) 07:14, 16 June 2023 (UTC)
 * I'll tell you exactly why user:generalrelative removed a completely uncontroversial photo that had been in the article for more than 10 years, without disucssing it in any way. The same reason other users removed photos by the same photographer.  You see user:Abbedabb, one of the most prolific and talented photographers on Wikipedia, dared to photograph Conchita Wurst at a Eurovisiom event.  This is enough to make them an enemy of the anti-trans contigent.  It's happening all over Wikipedia by the way.  Unfortunately, what Generalrelative did was completely within policy, although it was certainly inconsiderate. If I am wrong I apologize, but there is no other reason to remove a longstanding, apolitical, benign image from an article, with zero discussion as to why or waiting for discussion first.  Especially an image that adds necessary context to the article itself (twins are basically the first image peopeople think of when discussing nature and nurture). 66.74.137.76 (talk) 21:26, 22 June 2023 (UTC)
 * Well, it could be that it really doesn't add anything to the article. We don't use images for decoration. Not everything is a conspiracy. MrOllie (talk) 21:29, 22 June 2023 (UTC)
 * I'd like to belive that Mr. Ollie, but that doesn't explain removing such a longstanding image - one that is completely unobjectionable- without some kind of prior discussion. It's just simple manners.  Again if I am wrong I feel terrible, but there really isn't any other explanation. ETA if you were to try to add the article back I guarantee you it would be removed immediately - BECAUSE of who the photographer is. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.74.137.76 (talk • contribs)
 * WP:AGF, and please stop casting aspersions at other editors. There is no evidence that anyone has a problem with the photographer. There is a problem with showing a random set of twins - who were not part of any study and who were raised together, to make some kind of point in the image caption about studies of similarities between twins who are raised apart. It never should have been on this article in the first place. - MrOllie (talk) 21:50, 22 June 2023 (UTC)
 * Thanks MrOllie. For the record I had never heard of the photographer nor the controversy mentioned by the IP. I removed the image for the reason MrOllie suggests and would only add that this particular image of twins (along with its caption) didn't seem appropriately neutral for a lead image, as though it were seeking to prime the reader toward the "nature" rather than the "nurture" side of the debate. That's what I was getting at in my edit summary. Generalrelative (talk) 10:59, 24 June 2023 (UTC)
 * I don’t think I’ve seen this article in a long time, and looking at page history I’m surprised that photo and caption had been up for so long. Like I said elsewhere the twins in that photo do not seem to be twins separated at birth and were not part of a study, making that photo and similarly the caption irrelevant to the article. Additionally, similar information to that caption is touched upon in the article. Also, see WP:BRD regarding the discussion bit. Justanotherguy54 (talk) 04:29, 19 August 2023 (UTC)
 * As an editor who is just coming back to this article now: the image and caption should be kept in the article, at the very least, in a section with twin studies. Saying that it "prime the reader toward" nature rather than nurture seems unjustified like POV pushing, given the bulk of reliable psychological sources concede that nature does outweigh nurture on most psychological traits, and most of the environmental influence is less "nurture", and more random noise in development. I would ultimately support restoring it to the top of the article given that twins raised apart were one of the only true causal tests of nature vs. nurture which got away from the purely correlation claims of nurturism. I don't think there is reasonable consensus to remove the image and caption. Zenomonoz (talk) 03:38, 10 August 2023 (UTC)
 * This is an article that touches on twin studies, but an image of a pair of twins that were not a part of a study and are not associated with the article subject in any meaningful way does not belong here. MrOllie (talk) 23:06, 13 August 2023 (UTC)
 * The_Tolmachevy_Sisters,_ESC2014_Meet_&_Greet_28_(crop).jpg
 * I think you are splitting hairs. This is an article about nature versus nurture, and twin studies were among the first methods to truly test nature versus nurture. If I change the caption to "Identical twins, including twins separated at birth, helped provide better insight into the debate about nature versus nurture", I have immediately fixed the issue and make no reference to studies. Zenomonoz (talk) 23:15, 13 August 2023 (UTC)
 * The image would still be irrelevant to the article. This is like putting a photograph of a random person in public on Sociology. MrOllie (talk) 23:21, 13 August 2023 (UTC)
 * No it wouldn't. Zenomonoz (talk) 02:10, 14 August 2023 (UTC)
 * Well argued, but I am still not convinced. MrOllie (talk) 02:14, 14 August 2023 (UTC)
 * Yes it would. The twins in that photo do not seem to be twins separated at birth and were not part of a study, making that photo and similarly the caption irrelevant to the article. Additionally, similar information to that caption is touched upon in the article. Justanotherguy54 (talk) 04:18, 19 August 2023 (UTC)

Lysenko somehow got ignored here. I experimentally deleted him again; he had been reinserted by a sitebanned user. --Hob Gadling (talk) 06:49, 20 August 2023 (UTC)

"Nature (genes) nurture (environment)"
I propose the body and introduction require some modification. At present, it suggests that "nurture" = "environment", however this is somewhat misleading. "Environment" also includes things that might be considered 'nature'. For example, handedness is a trait that is not completely genetic (it has environmental influence), however the environment in this case appears to be prenatal, and thus the trait is due to 'nature'

From Rutter (2014):

There are a number of other sources that also discuss this.

Of course, it is necessary to discuss this in the body prior to making changes to the intro. What section is it best to discuss, or should a new section be made? Zenomonoz (talk) 05:29, 20 August 2023 (UTC)

 * I'm not convinced that this or other sources actually indicate that there is any fundamental problem with the way we currently phrase things. Of course inexact concepts like "nature" and "nurture" will break down when examined closely enough, and philosophical questions will emerge around limit cases like in-utero environment, where the distinction between nature and nurture appears to break down. We can certainly discuss this if we can identify sources which do so, but the existence of such limit cases in no way invalidates the macro-level appropriateness of "nature = genetics / nurture = environment", which is how most sources have historically described this topic. Generalrelative (talk) 18:03, 20 August 2023 (UTC)
 * Well, for example transgender identity is largely 'environmental', but that would not prove that it is a case of nurture (non-social mechanisms exist). While it's certainly true that mistaken social scientists have often written 'environment = nurture', most of the behavior genetics literature (where this all stems from) are quite clear that environment ≠ nurture, it is a lot broader than that. Nurture, most accurately is probably described as the postnatal and social environment. Zenomonoz (talk) 22:19, 23 August 2023 (UTC)
 * I'm not sure that your premise is correct. But it seems rather irrelevant, since we don't write articles based on our own original analysis. What you would need to be persuasive here is reliable, secondary sources which state what you are trying to say clearly and definitively. If you can provide such sources I would be more than happy to revise the language. It's also probably worth mentioning that we have no a priori reason to privilege behavioral genetics literature over social science. As you may know, behavioral genetics is an emerging field with some serious critics. Generalrelative (talk) 23:10, 23 August 2023 (UTC)
 * Yes, it's in notable sources. I very clearly implied in my original comment that sources for these changes would be needed. Second, is a bit weak given 'nature versus nurture' was coined by Francis Galton, so the definitions from genetics are relevant (especially since it literally states "nature (genes)" in the opening which is blatantly false). You are also missing that regular geneticists (not behavioral geneticists) also use the terms genes and environment as I have (i.e. non social environment is part of the environment). Zenomonoz (talk) 23:54, 23 August 2023 (UTC)
 * No, I don't believe that mainstream geneticists use the terms "nature" and "nurture" as you do. Of course environment extends beyond the social. Who would argue otherwise? That has nothing to do with whether we can say that the prenatal environment falls outside the realm of "nurture", which would imply some pretty silly things, e.g. that while childhood nutrition is obviously "nurture", prenatal nutrition is somehow "nature". For more on this I'd suggest reading the SEP article on "The Distinction Between Innate and Acquired Characteristics". As the authors conclude: If some "behavioral" geneticists have agreed to draw a firm distinction the way you do (I'll take your word for it for the sake of argument), that is a conventional definition. But it is far from universal, or even mainstream.  Most scientists who study this stuff (and the philosophers who study what those scientists are saying) understand that gene/environment interactions obtain all the way down, and that the nature/nurture distinction is at best an everyday-language shorthand for these interactions. Your second point strikes me as a non-sequitur. At this point I feel like we're talking past one another so we should probably leave it to others to weigh in. Generalrelative (talk) 06:50, 24 August 2023 (UTC)
 * Yes, I am wondering why you have started a long winded argument. Where did I say prenatal nutrition would be considered 'nature'? I didn't! However, prenatal fluctuations of hormones which occur naturally would be nature. Many environmental components happen without outside influence. That is the distinction. Another example: a lot of the 'environment' can be down to genetic variation and stochasticism (simply chance in how an organism begins to grow, e.g. a zig or a zag of a cell), which is captured in 'environment', but can be entirely 'nature'. Zenomonoz (talk) 08:11, 24 August 2023 (UTC)
 * I mean, my "long winded" argument was a good faith effort to engage with you. But I'll stop that now. As I said, we appear to be talking past one another, with neither of us understanding the other. You also seem to be claiming not to have said things you clearly did say, which is quite frustrating (e.g. Nurture, most accurately is probably described as the postnatal and social environment –– I point out that pre natal factors like nutrition are also forms of "nurture" and your response is I didn't say that.) Happy to let others take over from here. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Generalrelative (talk) 22:30, 24 August 2023 (UTC)

RANDOMNESS SHOULD BE INCLUDED
Hi, randomness is everywhere (or almost so) in biology. And it does contribute to phenotype. See here, for example : https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg25534050-900-nature-nurture-luck-why-you-are-more-than-just-genes-and-upbringing/

You can't do an article about two contributors of a phenomena and omit the third. Also, part of why I used capitals is because I have made such a submission here, which was not only ignored but even disappeared.

Nonetheless, truly yours, Adrijani 2A01:CB04:BC:3200:4977:38D9:A2A2:A9FC (talk) 04:41, 7 November 2023 (UTC)

 * If you have sources, go ahead and add the content yourself. Before doing so, it may be helpful to review our guideline on reliable sources and our policy on due weight (hint: one article in a popular science magazine may not count for much when weighed against numerous scientific publications). If you're reverted, the next step would be to hash things out here. But we're all volunteers, so it's rarely effective to simply ask others to write content that you wish to see. Requesting minor changes on protected pages is the exception, but this page is open for anyone to edit. Generalrelative (talk) 05:25, 7 November 2023 (UTC)

 * Hello,

indeed but actually, I am majoring in philosophy of sciences (and of knowledge and mind) (Master Degree) and I am not as knowledgeable in biology, developmental psychology or medicine as people holding degrees in these majors. So, I know that luck plays a role in a large array of biological phenomenons; e.g. we can read on NCBI Stochastic effects (ie, the accumulation of random mutations within specific cellular pathways) contribute significantly to cancer etiology, and it is well known that the accumulation of these mutations in the course of a lifetime contributes to the increased risk of developing cancer as we age. But I can't go through much depth, tell the state-of-the-art with much certainty or engage in technicalities, so I hoped someone or people more able to do so would find my point, give it credit and edit the page accordingly; adding to my reluctance, the nature-nurture debate is full of controversies and sociopolitical implications (even when these are in fact non-sequitur) and this is a page on the most visited version of the most visited encyclopedia in the world. So I was afraid to mislead in some way.

Nevertheless there are philosophers of biology who know well this topic, for example Francesca Merlin, from my former university, and with enough research and learning efforts from my part I should be able to overcome said factors of shyness.

Sincerely yours, Adrijani — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2A01:CB04:BC:3200:4977:38D9:A2A2:A9FC (talk) 08:49, 8 November 2023 (UTC)

 * Yes, randomness and stochastic effects should obviously be included as a part of environment. But I'm a bit busy at the moment right now to hunt down sources that speak to this. Zenomonoz (talk) 10:04, 8 November 2023 (UTC)
 * Hello,
 * nice!

But are stochastic effects to be seen as a part of the environment? Literally speaking, environment is what environs while random factors aren't components of the milieu (even if there is some causal effect of the milieu on random factors: e.g. environmental stress tends to increase the mutation rate). In addition, genetic factors are seen as nature-sided more than nurture-sided (in spite of epigenetics, epistasis, pleiotropy, prenatal exposure, which can induce de novo mutations et cætera) and there is some randomness at their basis, through the inheritance of the allele of one parent over other parent's, for example.
 * I think stochastic effects can be conceived as a third agent in this highly complex and still to be untangled, yet to be unraveled, interplay.
 * See for example:
 * https://academic.oup.com/evolut/article/77/11/2522/7252632
 * It is part of why I was reluctant to edit on my own at that point.
 * Sincerely yours,
 * Adrijani 2A01:CB04:BC:3200:4977:38D9:A2A2:A9FC (talk) 02:54, 15 November 2023 (UTC)
 * "But are stochastic effects to be seen as a part of the environment?", in terms of modelling which attributes a fraction of variance to genes or environment, yes "randomness" falls in the environment box. Example: genetic studies estimate a proportion of variance attributable to genes, and the rest is simply attributed to 'environment'. However, they cannot say what type of 'environment' it is. It is simply an unfortunate artefact of early naming conventions in genetics. 'Environment' should be named 'environment and everything else', but that isn't going to happen. Zenomonoz (talk) 09:46, 15 November 2023 (UTC)

I plead for a pertinent inclusion of the seminal quote "genes load the gun, environment pulls the trigger"
Hi, actually I was even surprised that the quote doesn't appear in the article. A wide body of articles, having the nature-nurture interaction or some part thereof as their topic, use this synthetic and famous quote, sometimes even in their title.

Sincerely yours, Adrijani 2A01:CB04:BC:3200:6D89:3DE3:F9E0:17D7 (talk) 04:43, 21 December 2023 (UTC)

 * I've taken care of that. Wiki Crazyman (talk) 15:51, 18 January 2024 (UTC)

Lysenko or not
Should this article include a discussion of Lysenkoism? Wiki Crazyman (talk) 15:51, 18 January 2024 (UTC)

 * On the surface it would seem an appropriate topic for this article, but first we'd need reliable sources that explicitly connect Lysenko to "nature versus nurture". My guess is that such sources shouldn't be hard to find. Generalrelative (talk) 16:15, 18 January 2024 (UTC)

title: Talk:Nature versus nurture


text:
Fribourg

Fribourg is the capital of the Swiss canton of Fribourg and district of La Sarine. Located on both sides of the river Saane/Sarine, on the Swiss Plateau, it is a major economic, administrative and educational centre on the cultural border between German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland. Its Old City, one of the best-maintained in Switzerland, sits on a small rocky hill above the valley of the Sarine. In 2018, it had a population of 38,365.

Prehistory
The region around Fribourg has been settled since the Neolithic period, although few remains have been found. These include some flint tools found near Bourguillon, as well as a stone hatchet and bronze tools. A river crossing was located in the area during the Roman Era. The main activity in the Swiss plateau bypassed the area to the north, however, and was instead centered around the valley of the river Broye and Aventicum. Therefore, only a few remains from the Roman era have been found in Fribourg. These include the traces of a wall foundation on the plains near Pérolles.

Middle Ages

The town was founded as Freiburg in 1157 by Berthold IV, Duke of Zähringen. Its name is derived from German frei (free) and Burg (fort). Its most ancient part is conveniently located on a former peninsula of the river Sarine, protected on three sides by steep cliffs. The easily defended city helped the Dukes of Zähringen to strengthen and extend their power in the Swiss plateau in the area between the Aare and La Sarine.

Beginning at the time of its inception, Fribourg built a city-state; initially, the land it controlled lay some distance away. When the dukes of Zähringen died out in 1218, the city was transferred to the related Kyburg family. They granted the city its former privileges and wrote the municipal laws in the so-called Handfeste in 1249, in which the legal, institutional and economic organizations were established. Several treaties with neighbouring city-states, including Avenches (1239), Bern (1243), and Morat (Murten) (1245), were signed at this time.

The city was sold to the Habsburgs in 1277. Trade and industry began as early as the mid-13th century. In the early period, Fribourg consisted of four distinct inner city districts: Burg, Au, La Neuveville, and Spital. The city developed rapidly, which led to its first expansion: the Burg district expanded to the west in 1224, a town was established across the river in 1254, and in 1280 development began near Place Python. These expansions reflect the economic boom in Fribourg. The 14th century was dominated by trade, and cloth and leather production, which brought the city renown in Central Europe by 1370. In 1339, Fribourg participated alongside the Habsburgs and the County of Burgundy in the Battle of Laupen against Bern and its Swiss Confederacy allies. The treaty with Bern was renewed in 1403. The leaders of the city began a territorial acquisition, in which they gradually brought more nearby land under their control. This laid the ground-work for the Canton of Fribourg. By 1442 the city had control of all the land within about 20 km, on both sides of the Saane. It was therefore directly controlled by the city leaders, not by any intermediate administration.

The mid-15th century was shaped by various military conflicts. First, considerable losses in a war against Savoy had to be made good. The Savoyard influence on the city grew, and the Habsburgs ceded it to them in 1452. It remained under the control of Savoy until the Burgundian Wars in 1477. As an ally of Bern, Fribourg participated in the war against Charles I of Burgundy, thereby bringing more land under its control.

After the city was released from the sphere of influence of Savoy, it attained the status of Free Imperial City in 1478. The city and its canton joined the Swiss Confederation in 1481, and has long influenced Swiss and European Catholicism. In the 16th century, Fribourg continued to grow, first following the invasion of Pays de Vaud in 1536 with the help of Bern, and then in 1554 through the annexation of land formerly controlled by the Count of Gruyère. Several prominent families developed as a result of the cloth and leather trade, beginning in the 14th century, including Gottrau, Lanthen, Affry, Diesbach (originally from Bern), von der Weid, Fegeli, and Weck. Together with the local nobles (the Maggenberg, Düddingen/Velga, Montenach, Englisberg and Praroman families) they formed the 15th century patrician class. This contributed to the decline of the cloth trade, however, as the families involved in the industry began to be more concerned with governing the city and its surrounding possessions.

An important milestone for the politics of the city was reached in 1627, when the patricians drew up a new constitution, in which they declared that they were the only people capable of ruling the city, and thereby took control of all voting rights. This consolidated the oligarchy which had begun to form as early as the 15th century.

Importance of monasteries and churches
The monasteries of Fribourg have always formed a centre of religious culture, which includes architecture, sculpture and painting, and have contributed to the culture of the city. The Franciscan monastery was donated by Jakob von Riggisberg in 1256. In early times, it was closely associated with the city council, because it housed the city archives and its monastery church was used for town meetings until 1433. Similarly, the Augustinian monastery was founded in the mid-13th century, and enjoyed the support of the noble Velga family for a long time. Additionally, La Maigrauge Abbey has existed since 1255, and has belonged to the Cistercians since 1262. An important institution was the public hospital, opened in the mid-13th century, which provided services for the poor.

During the Reformation, Fribourg remained Catholic, although it was nearly surrounded by the Protestant Bern. This led to repeated conflicts over religion in border regions, and in areas controlled jointly by Fribourg and Bern. The city was a major centre of the Counter-Reformation. At the end of the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th, new monasteries were established in the city, including: a Capuchin monastery (1608), another on Bisemberg (1621), an Ursuline monastery (1634), and a Visitandine monastery (1635). The most influential monastery, however, was that of the Jesuits, which contributed to a large extent to the advancement and prosperity of the city. It established the College of Saint Michael in 1582, the theological faculty of which formed the basis of the University of Fribourg. The concept of an objective press was also begun by the Jesuits.

In 1613 Fribourg became the seat of the Bishop of Lausanne, who, after the Reformation, was forced first into Evian, and then into exile in Burgundy. Today it is the seat of the Diocese of Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg.

1780–1809
The strong patrician regime, consisting of no more than 60 families, filled all of the influential positions in the city and dominated all political, social, economic and cultural arenas of Fribourg. On several occasions unhappy citizens joined to attempt a revolt, including in 1781 under the leadership of Pierre-Nicolas Chenaux. These revolts were repressed with the help of Bern and Bernese troops. The invasion of Switzerland by French troops in 1798 led to the downfall of this Ancien Régime. Fribourg capitulated to the French on 2 March and relinquished leadership of its lands. This freed the way for the first municipal elections, in which Jean de Montenach was elected the first mayor. With the introduction of the Act of Mediation under Napoleon in 1803, the separation of the city of Fribourg from its Canton was finally carried out. Fribourg was made the capital of its region and Canton, and, between 1803 and 1809, was one of the capitals of Switzerland.

Sonderbund
The patricians regained control of the city in 1814 during the Restoration period. They ruled until 1830. Its leadership was followed by a new and more liberal constitution. Fribourg was part of the 1845-1847 Sonderbund, a "separate alliance" of Catholic cantons attempting to secede from Switzerland. Fribourg and the Sonderbund capitulated to Federalist forces under General Dufour on 14 November 1847 in what amounted to a brief and nearly bloodless Swiss civil war. Since 1848, the new national constitution and the amendment to the Canton constitution has guaranteed every citizen the right to vote.

Modern times
The later 19th and the 20th century brought about drastic changes to the city's culture and physical nature. In 1848 the city wall was partially torn down and a new bridge constructed across the Saane/La Sarine. The opening of the midland railway line through the city in 1862 led to the development of a "railway station quarter" of the city. The improved transportation enabled Fribourg to undergo industrialisation. The city centre shifted from the Old City to the new Train Station quarter. Extensive areas in Pérolles, Beauregard and Vignettaz were developed with industry or houses around 1900. The inauguration of the university in 1889 was an important event in Fribourg. Another economic boon to the city was the opening of the nearby A12 highway.

Topography
Fribourg has an elevation of 581 m (in the Old City), and is situated 28 km southwest of Bern. It is located on the Swiss plateau, and extends on both sides of the Sarine, which, in the vicinity of Fribourg, has cut deeply into the molasse. The Old City is located on a hill, only about 100 m wide, which rises about 40 m above the valley floor. Most quarters of the city are located on the High Plateau and the surrounding hills, which have an average elevation of 620 m. The valley floor is only settled in the area immediately around the Old City.

Fribourg has an area,, of 9.3 km2. Of this area, 1.25 km2 or 13.4% is used for agricultural purposes, while 1.58 km2 or 17.0% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 5.89 km2 or 63.3% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.53 km2 or 5.7% is either rivers or lakes and 0.07 km2 or 0.8% is unproductive land. Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 4.5% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 34.5% and transportation infrastructure made up 15.2%. Power and water infrastructure as well as other special developed areas made up 1.6% of the area while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 7.5%. Out of the forested land, 14.4% of the total land area is heavily forested and 2.6% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 6.9% is used for growing crops and 6.0% is pastures. Of the water in the municipality, 1.7% is in lakes and 4.0% is in rivers and streams.

The area of the municipality, which is relatively small for a city, covers an area of Molasse in the central part of Canton of Fribourg. The area is cut through from south to north by the tightly wound Saane/La Sarine, which has eroded a valley, in some places, to a depth of 100 m below the surrounding Plateau. In general, the valley floor is between 200 and 500 m wide. Le Lac de Pérolles, formed as a reservoir by Maigrauge Dam, the first Gravity Dam in Europe, in 1872, is located south of the city. The head of the Schiffenensee is located just 1 km north of the city. At both of these artificial lakes, La Sarine covers nearly the entire valley floor.

The hills flanked on both sides by steep, largely wooded, slopes. To the east, the municipality reaches up the slopes of Mount Schönberg, which, with an elevation of 702 m, is the highest point in Fribourg. The river Galtera, also deeply cut into the plateau, flows between the mountain and the river, emptying into the Saane/La Sarine near the Old City.

The former village of Bourguillon lies within the municipality. Fribourg borders on Düdingen and Tafers to the east, Pierrafortscha to the southeast, Marly to the south, Villars-sur-Glâne and Givisiez to the west, and Granges-Paccot to the north.

Coat of arms
The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Azure a Castle embattled and towered on dexter issuant from a Semi Annulet all Argent.

The canton and the capital share the same name but have different coats of arms.

Government
The Municipal Council (Conseil communal de la Ville de Fribourg, Gemeinderat) constitutes the executive government of the City of Fribourg and operates as a collegiate authority. It is composed of five councilors (Conseiller communal / Conseillère communale, Gemeinderat / Gemeinderätin), each presiding over a directorate comprising several departments and the related commissions. The president of the executive department acts as mayor (syndic). In the mandate period 2021–2026 (la législature) the Municipal Council is presided by Monsieur le Syndic Thierry Steiert. Departmental tasks, coordination measures and implementation of laws decreed by the General Council (parliament) are carried by the Municipal Council. The regular election of the Municipal Council by any inhabitant valid to vote is held every five years. Any resident of Fribourg allowed to vote can be elected as a member of the Municipal Council. Due to the constitution by canton of Fribourg not only Swiss citizen have the right to vote and elect and being elected on communal level, but also foreigners with a residence permit of type C and being resident in the canton of Fribourg for at least 5 years. The current mandate period is from 1 June 2021 to 31 May 2026. The delegates are selected by means of a system of Proporz. The mayor is elected as such by a public election while the heads of the other directorates are assigned by the collegiate. The executive body holds its meetings in the Town Hall (L'Hôtel de Ville), in the old city on Place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville.

As of 2021, Fribourg's Municipal Council is made up of two representatives of the PS/SP (Social Democratic Party, of whom one is also the mayor), and one each of PDC/CVP (Christian Democratic Party), PCS/CSP (Christian Social Party), and PES/GPS (Green Party), giving the left parties a majority of four out of five seats. The last regular election was held on 7 March 2021. All previous members have been re-elected.

Parliament
The General Council (Conseil général, Generalrat), the city parliament, holds legislative power. It is made up of 80 members, with elections held every five years. The General Council decrees regulations and by-laws that are executed by the Municipal Council and the administration. The delegates are selected by means of a system of proportional representation.

The sessions of the General Council are public. Unlike members of the Municipal Council, members of the General Council are not politicians by profession, and they are paid a fee based on their attendance. Any resident of Fribourg allowed to vote can be elected as a member of the General Council. Due to the constitution by canton of Fribourg not only Swiss citizen have the right to vote and elect and being elected on communal level, but also foreigners with a residence permit of type C and being resident in the canton of Fribourg for at least 5 years. The Parliament holds its meetings in the Grande salle de la Maison de Justice, in the old city on rue des Chanoines 1.

The last regular election of the General Council was held on 7 March 2021 for the mandate period (la législature) from 1 June 2021 to 31 May 2026. Currently the General Council consist of 23 (-7) members of the Social Democratic Party (PS/SP), 21 (+13) Green Party (PES/GPS), 1 (-1) Christian Democratic People's Party (PDC/CVP), 8 (-2) The Liberals (PLR/FDP), 7 (+2) Centre Gauche (PCS/CSP), 6 (-2) Swiss People's Party (UDC/SVP), and one (-) for parti des artistes (PA/KP), giving the left parties a very strong absolute majority.

National Council
In the 2019 federal election for the Swiss National Council the most popular party was the PS/SP which received 29.4% (-6.8) of the vote. The next four most popular parties were the Green Party 20.9% (+11.0), the PDC/CVP 15.5% (-7.0), the UDC/SVP 9.7% (-4.1), and the FDP/PLR 9.1% (+0.4). In the federal election, a total of 9,426 voters were cast, and the voter turnout was 46.6%.

In the 2015 federal election for the Swiss National Council the most popular party was the PS/SP which received 36.3% of the vote. The next four most popular parties were the PDC/CVP (22.5%), the UDC/SVP (13.8%), the Green Party (9.8%), and the FDP/PLR (8.7%). In the federal election, a total of 9.795 voters were cast, and the voter turnout was 48.4%.

Population
Fribourg has a population of. , 31.9% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Between 2000 and 2010, the population changed at a rate of 8.3%. Migration accounted for 8.1%, while births and deaths accounted for 0.9%.

Fribourg is the largest city in Canton Fribourg. The population of Fribourg grew markedly at the beginning of the 20th century, as well as from 1930 to 1970. The maximum population of 42,000 was reached in 1974. Since then, there had been a population loss of approximately 14%, which might have recently reversed.

The population of the agglomeration around Fribourg is 110,000, or, counting only the most nearby suburbs, 75,000 (2015). This includes the municipalities of Avry, Belfaux, Corminboeuf, Givisiez, Granges-Paccot, Marly, Matran and Villars-sur-Glâne. Surrounding municipalities include Givisiez, Granges-Paccot, Villars-sur-Glâne, Marly, as well as Corminboeuf, Belfaux, Grolley, and stretches as far as Düdingen (French Guin) and Tafers (French Tavel) on the right bank of the Sarine.

The growth of the agglomeration around Fribourg has fused the city proper with the neighboring towns of Villars-sur-Glâne, Givisiez, and Granges-Paccot. The town of Klein-Schönberg, which belongs to Tafers, and the village of Uebewil, which belongs to Düdingen, are located right on the eastern edge of town. This settlement area itself has a population of 60,000 (2015).

, the population was 48.8% male and 51.2% female. The population was made up of 12,080 Swiss men (31.8% of the population) and 6,475 (17.0%) non-Swiss men. There were 13,855 Swiss women (36.4%) and 5,636 (14.8%) non-Swiss women. Of the population in the municipality, 10,756 or about 30.3% were born in Fribourg and lived there in 2000. There were 6,394 or 18.0% who were born in the same canton, while 7,164 or 20.2% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 8,981 or 25.3% were born outside of Switzerland. , children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 19.3% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 65.8% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 14.9%.

, there were 17,825 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 13,581 married individuals, 2,146 widows or widowers and 1,995 individuals who are divorced.

, there were 15,839 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2. persons per household. There were 7,342 households that consist of only one person and 687 households with five or more people. , a total of 15,409 apartments (87.0% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 1,757 apartments (9.9%) were seasonally occupied and 549 apartments (3.1%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 5.5 new units per 1000 residents.

the average price to rent an average apartment in Fribourg was 1062.05 Swiss francs (CHF) per month (US$850, £480, €680 approx. exchange rate from 2003). The average rate for a one-room apartment was 623.40 CHF (US$500, £280, €400), a two-room apartment was about 792.47 CHF (US$630, £360, €510), a three-room apartment was about 993.14 CHF (US$790, £450, €640) and a six or more room apartment cost an average of 1870.76 CHF (US$1500, £840, €1200). The average apartment price in Fribourg was 95.2% of the national average of 1116 CHF. The vacancy rate for the municipality,, was 1.45%.

Historic population
The historical population is given in the following chart:

Languages
Most of the population speaks French (22,603 or 63.6%) as their first language, German is the second most common (7,520 or 21.2%) and Italian is the third (1,359 or 3.8%). There are 55 people who speak Romansh. Few inhabitants in village of Basse-Ville speak Bolze, a mixed language created from the blend of French and Swiss German. Fribourg, the city and the canton, has two official languages, and French outweighs German as both the language of the local government and the most commonly spoken language in public discourse and business in the canton.

Fribourg has always been located on the Swiss language border, but at the time of the city's founding in the 12th century, German was the prevailing language. Although German was the official language of the city until 1800, French gradually became more influential. This was aided by industrialization, which led to an influx of French-speaking immigrants. Since the political changes of the late 18th century and early 19th century, the German-speaking population has been a minority. Even in German, the town is often called "Fribourg" instead of the Standard German "Freiburg", which helps distinguish it from Freiburg im Breisgau on the edge of the Black Forest, Germany. Another explanation is that in the local Alemannic German dialect, the city is called Frybùrg or Friburg (pronounced: [ˈfrib̥ʊrɡ]), from which the French name "Fribourg" was probably derived.

Religion
From the, 24,614 or 69.2% were Roman Catholic, while 2,763 or 7.8% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church. Of the rest of the population, there were 443 members of an Orthodox church (or about 1.25% of the population), there were 13 individuals (or about 0.04% of the population) who belonged to the Christian Catholic Church, and there were 668 individuals (or about 1.88% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 62 individuals (or about 0.17% of the population) who were Jewish, and 1,676 (or about 4.71% of the population) who were Muslim. There were 161 individuals who were Buddhist, 71 individuals who were Hindu and 43 individuals who belonged to another church. 2,843 (or about 8.00% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic or atheist, and 2,509 individuals (or about 7.06% of the population) did not answer the question.

The city remained Catholic during the Reformation, and has since become a centre of Catholicism. It has a greater than average number of churches and monasteries. Fribourg has been the seat of the Diocese of Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg since 1613. (See Sonderbund)

Development of trade and economy
Several types of industry developed in Fribourg as early as the 13th and 14th centuries. The extension of the city along the east bank of the Saane/La Sarine made about this time was indicative of a strong economic upturn. In Galterntal, water power was used for various mills. Along the Saane new trade districts developed with the towns of Au, Neustadt and Matten.

The tanneries and cloth manufacturers, strengthened by widespread sheep raising, led to an economic boom in the 14th and 15th centuries. This helped Fribourg by making its trades well known throughout central Europe. A gradual decline in cloth making in the second half of the 15th century occurred as local farmers replaced their sheep with cattle. Other reasons for the collapse of the cloth industry in the 16th century include the fact that the guild refused to use new materials or modern styles, and that the social structure of the city changed with the rise of the patrician class.

After this time, Fribourg was shaped by low-level trade, and was not industrialized until it was connected to the Swiss Railroad, beginning in the 1870s. After Lake Pérolles was built in 1872, energy was able to be supplied to the plateau south and west of the city. Thus, an industrial area developed there, dominated in its early years by a wagon factory and a lumber mill. Later, two breweries were established in this area. A chocolate factory was established in Villârs-sur-Glâne in 1901, but it came under Fribourg's jurisdiction in 1906 after a change of borders.

In the course of the 20th century, the plateau became the industrial section of the city. The development of new industrial areas in neighbouring municipalities, beginning in the 1970s, has permitted continued economic growth.

Economic situation today
, Fribourg had an unemployment rate of 4.9%. , there were 18 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 5 businesses involved in this sector. 3,821 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 232 businesses in this sector. 21,614 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 2,004 businesses in this sector. There were 17,207 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which women made up 47.1% of the workforce.

the total number of full-time equivalent jobs was 20,099. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 14, of which 4 were in agriculture, 8 were in forestry or lumber production and 1 was in fishing or fisheries. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 3,530 of which 1,744 or (49.4%) were in manufacturing, 9 or (0.3%) were in mining and 1,455 (41.2%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 16,555. In the tertiary sector; 2,633 or 15.9% were in wholesale or retail sales or the repair of motor vehicles, 993 or 6.0% were in the movement and storage of goods, 1,003 or 6.1% were in a hotel or restaurant, 568 or 3.4% were in the information industry, 957 or 5.8% were the insurance or financial industry, 1,535 or 9.3% were technical professionals or scientists, 3,273 or 19.8% were in education and 1,970 or 11.9% were in health care.

Fribourg has more jobs than laborers, and is therefore a large commuter destination for the largely agricultural surrounding area. Local industry includes food and luxury products, drinks (the breweries are owned by the Danish firm Carlsberg), metal and machine construction, electronics, and computer technology.

The largest number of workers are active in the service industries. Many of these work in government administrative positions. Other important sectors are education (at the university), banks and insurance companies, tourism and restaurants, as well as health services. Fribourg is home to the administrative offices of several international companies. The Cantonal hospital is on the border with Villars-sur-Glâne.

, there were 16,572 workers who commuted into the municipality and 6,505 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net importer of workers, with about 2.5 workers entering the municipality for every one leaving. Of the working population, 35% used public transportation to get to work, and 37.8% used a private car.

Education
Schools at the compulsory and pre-university level are available in both French and German. The university is officially bilingual, meaning students are expected to have a passive knowledge of both languages, even though it is possible to graduate with a degree exclusively in either language, or both. It is also reputed abroad for its legal and theological studies.

The Villa St. Jean International School was also located in Fribourg.
 * University of Fribourg
 * University of Applied Science Fribourg: offers applied tertiary education in technical and management disciplines. Part of UAS Western Switzerland/HES-SO.
 * École de multimédia et d'art de Fribourg: multimedia and art school, Fribourg, is a professional school on new media communication, image and technics.

Fribourg is home to 5 libraries. These libraries include; the BCU Fribourg, the Deutsche Bibliothek Fribourg, the Bibliothèque de la Ville, the Haute école de santé Fribourg and the École d’ingénieurs et d’architectes (EIA-FR). There was a combined total of 3,531,605 books or other media in the libraries, and in the same year a total of 611,405 items were loaned out.

In Fribourg about 11,649 or (32.8%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 5,671 or (16.0%) have completed additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule). Of the 5,671 who completed tertiary schooling, 47.7% were Swiss men, 31.2% were Swiss women, 12.4% were non-Swiss men and 8.7% were non-Swiss women.

The Canton of Fribourg school system provides one year of non-obligatory Kindergarten, followed by six years of Primary school. This is followed by three years of obligatory lower Secondary school where the students are separated according to ability and aptitude. Following the lower Secondary students may attend a three or four-year optional upper Secondary school. The upper Secondary school is divided into gymnasium (university preparatory) and vocational programs. After they finish the upper Secondary program, students may choose to attend a Tertiary school or continue their apprenticeship.

During the 2010–11 school year, there were a total of 14,170 students attending 974 classes in Fribourg. A total of 4,966 students from the municipality attended any school, either in the municipality or outside of it. There were 25 kindergarten classes with a total of 385 students in the municipality. The municipality had 117 primary classes and 2,037 students. During the same year, there were 117 lower secondary classes with a total of 2,313 students. There were 470 vocational upper Secondary classes and were 186 upper Secondary classes, with 4,012 upper Secondary students and 4,840 vocational upper Secondary students The municipality had 46 specialized Tertiary classes and were 13 non-university Tertiary classes, with 273 non-university Tertiary students and 310 specialized Tertiary students. With its vast diversity of languages and course offerings, University of Fribourg is a popular destination for students on their Erasmus Programme.

, there were 8,234 students in Fribourg who came from another municipality, while 305 residents attended schools outside the municipality.

Transport
Fribourg is the most important transport hub of the canton of Fribourg.

Roads
The town lies on the old main road from Bern to Vevey, and acts as an access point to Payerne, Morat and Thun. The connection to the Swiss motorway network was established in 1971 with the opening of the A12 motorway from Bern to Matran, which was extended in 1981 to Vevey. The Swiss east-west A1 from the West Bern bypasses the town to the north and west, only affecting the communities of Tälchen and Chamblioux. The access points of Fribourg-Sud and Fribourg-North are each about 3 km from the city centre.

Railway
The connection to the railway network was accomplished in several stages from 1860. Initially, the railway line from Bern to Fribourg opened on 2 July 1860 with a temporary terminal at Balliswil about 4 km north of the city, as the Grandfey Viaduct over the Sarine valley was not yet finished. On 4 September 1862, the whole of the line from Balliswil to Lausanne via Fribourg opened, with a temporary station building at Fribourg/Freiburg railway station, until the permanent building opened in 1873. A line to Payerne opened on 25 August 1876 and to Morat on 23 August 1898.

Public transport
A funicular railway has been operated from the Neuveville district to the upper city since 1899 by the sewage works. The Fribourg funicular is one of the world's few remaining water-powered funiculars, and the only one powered by sewage water. The upper station is located at the sewage plant which pumps sewage water into the descending car, which makes it heavier than the ascending car. The sewage is released at the bottom.

From 1897 to 1965 in Fribourg there was a 6 km long tram network in operation, with the trams replaced from 1949 with the Fribourg trolleybus system. The current bus network is now operated by the Transports publics fribourgeois, with connections to Bulle, Avenches, Schmitten, Schwarzenburg and in the tourist region Schwarzsee.

Airport
The regional Bern-Belp Airport is an hour away from the area.

Culture and tourism
Fribourg is a day trip destination for tourists who want to visit the sights of the city. These include the historic Old City with its Gothic Cathedral of Saint Nicholas renowned for its stained glass windows designed by Józef Mehoffer, and the museums. The Natural History Museum was founded in 1873, and is now located in the natural sciences building at the university. The Museum of Art and History, located in the Ratzéhof since 1920, has exhibits on ancient and early history, sculpture and paintings, traditional tin figures, arts and crafts, as well as money and graphic collections. In the cathedral, a treasure chamber has been on display since 1992. Other museums include the Swiss Museum of Marionnettes, the Swiss Sewing Machine Museum, the Gutenberg Museum, the Bible and Orient Museum and a beer museum.

Cultural experiences include the festival of religious music, the international folklore convention, the jazz parade, an international film festival and Cinéplus (since 1972).

Like its sister city Bern, Fribourg has preserved its medieval center as a whole that is now one of the largest in Europe. It is located on a spectacular peninsula, surrounded on three sides by the Saane/La Sarine. The architecture of the Old City date primarily from the Gothic period; it was built predominately before the 16th century. Most houses are built of the local molasse stone. Consisting of the neighborhoods Bourg, Auge and Neuveville, its old town is rich in fountains and churches dating from the 12th century until the 17th century. Its cathedral, reaching 76 m in height, was built between 1283 and 1490. The fortifications of Fribourg form the most important medieval military architecture of Switzerland: 2 km of ramparts, 14 towers and one big bulwark. The protections are especially well preserved east and south of the city.

Heritage sites of national significance
Fribourg is home to 67 buildings or sites that are listed as Swiss heritage site of national significance.

 * Religious Buildings: Cistercians Maigrauge Abbey with Library, the former Convent of the Augustinians, Former Commandry de Saint-Jean, Notre-Dame Basilica, Saint-Nicolas et Trésor Cathedral, Centre paroissial du Christe-Roi, Chapel de Lorette, Chapel Saint-Barthélemy and Chapel de Pérolles, Convent of the Capucins, Convent of the Cordeliers, Convent of the Ursulines, Church of Saint-Pierre, Monastère de la Visitation and Monastère of the Capucines de Montorge
 * Secular Buildings: Former Hôtel des Postes et Télégraphes, Centrale énergétique de la Maigrauge, Cercle de la Grande Société, Chancellerie de l’État, Poya Castle, Cure at Rue de la Lenda 1, Factory Complex of the Chocolats Villars company, Fortifications, Funiculaire Neuveville-Saint-Pierre, Hôpital of the Bourgeois, Hôtel de Ville, Immeuble de rapport Sallin, Les Arcades, Motta Swimming Pool and Vieille Village
 * Houses and Private Buildings: Auberge de la Cigogne, House at Rue de la Neuveville 48, House at Rue d’Or 7, House at Rue d’Or 13, House d’Alt at Place de l’Hôtel-de-Ville 1, House de Castella, House de Fégely-d’Estavayer dite Vicarino, House de François-Prosper de Castella, House de Gottrau dite Les Tornalettes, House de Jean-François d’Ammann de Macconens, House de Lanthen-Heid, House de Reyff, House de Reyff de Cugy, House de Techtermann, House de Nicolas Kuenlin, House des tanneurs Reyff, House Fégely (?) dite tannerie Deillon and Villa Mayer
 * Schools: Collège Saint-Michel, Université Miséricorde
 * Archives, Libraries and Museums: Archives de l’État de Fribourg, Archives de la Ville de Fribourg, Cantonal and University Library, Grenier de Derrière-Notre-Dame et Museum Gutenberg, Musée suisse des arts graphiques, Grenier de la Planche and Hôtel Ratzé et Museum d’art et d’histoire
 * Fountains: Fountain de la Fidélité, Fountain de la Force, Fountain de la Samaritaine, Fountain de la Vaillance, Fountain de Sainte-Anne, Fountain de Saint-Georges, Fountain de Saint-Jean, Fountain de Samson and Jo Siffert Fountain
 * Bridges: Pont de Bern, Pont de Saint-Jean, Pont du Gottéron and Pont du Milieu

Sports
The most popular sport club in the town is the ice hockey club HC Fribourg-Gottéron, which plays in the National League (NL). Their home arena is the 8,934-seat BCF Arena. Established in 1937, it has never won a Swiss championship, but has been runner-up five times.

Basketball is played by Fribourg Olympic, which plays its home games at the 3,500-capacity gym of the Holy Cross College. The club has been successful, winning 13 championships (1966, '71, '73, '74, '78, '79, '81, '82, '85, '91, '92, '98, '99 and 2007), six Swiss Cups (1967, '76, '78, '97, '98 and 2007) and one League Cup in 2007.

The football club FC Fribourg plays in the 2. Liga Interregional, the fifth tier of Swiss Football.

Since 1933, on the first Sunday in October, a race from Murten to Fribourg, the "Murtenlauf" (Murten Run), is held to commemorate the Battle of Murten. The 17 mi race is one of the most popular fun runs in Switzerland.

Notable residents

 * Prior to the 19th century
 * The de Weck family, prominent in Fribourg politics beginning in the 15th century
 * Hans Fries (c. 1465 – c. 1523), Swiss painter before the Reformation
 * Johann Augustanus Faber (c. 1470–1531), Swiss theologian
 * Petrus Canisius SJ (1521–1597), Dutch Jesuit Catholic priest, lived in Fribourg 1577–1597 and founded the Jesuit Collège Saint-Michel
 * Hans Gieng (first mentioned 1525 – died 1562), Swiss Renaissance sculptor best known for his public fountain figures
 * Jean Jacques Joseph d'Alt (1653—1714), Swiss officer and administrator
 * Jean-Baptiste Girard (1765–1850), Swiss Franciscan educator
 * 19th century
 * Louis Agassiz (1807–1873), Swiss-American biologist and geologist
 * Johannes Bapst (1815–1887), Swiss Jesuit missionary, first president of Boston College
 * Pierre Rossier (1829–1886), pioneering Swiss photographer, used albumen photographs
 * Adèle d'Affry (1836–1879), Swiss artist and sculptor from a noble and military family
 * Jules Repond (1853–1933), Swiss lawyer and law professor, writer and journalist, politician, entrepreneur and military officer. Commander of the Pontifical Swiss Guard 1910–1921
 * Johann Jakob Hess (1866–1949), Swiss Egyptologist and Assyriologist
 * Wilhelm Schmidt SVD (1868–1954 in Fribourg), Austrian linguist, anthropologist and ethnologist
 * Oswald Pilloud (1873–1946 in Fribourg), Swiss painter and illustrator
 * Jean-Edouard de Castella (1881–1966 in Fribourg), Swiss painter and illustrator
 * Oskar Naegeli (1885–1959 in Fribourg), Swiss dermatologist and chess master
 * Léon Savary (1895–1968), Swiss writer and journalist, historian of the city of Fribourg

 * 20th century
 * Jean Bourgknecht (1902–1964), Swiss politician, mayor of Fribourg 1950–1959 and member of the Swiss Federal Council 1959–1962
 * Jean Tinguely (1925–1991), Swiss sculptor of machines or kinetic art, in the Dada tradition
 * Anni-Frid Lyngstad (born 1945), singer from Swedish pop group ABBA, lives near Fribourg
 * Joseph Deiss (born 1946), economist and Swiss politician; member of the Swiss Federal Council 1999–2006
 * Arlette Zola (born 1949), singer for Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1982.
 * Pierre Hemmer (1950–2013), Internet pioneer in Switzerland
 * Urs Schwaller (born 1952), Swiss politician, member of the Swiss Council of States for the Canton of Fribourg since 2003
 * Daniel Vasella M.D. (born 1953), physician, author and CEO of the Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis
 * Roger de Weck (born 1953), journalist and author
 * Jean-François Mayer (born 1957), religious historian, writer and analyst
 * Claude Longchamp (born 1957), Swiss historian, political scientist and analyst for Swiss TV
 * Thomas Baumer (born 1960), Swiss economist and expert for intercultural competence and personality assessment
 * Caroline Charrière (1960–2018), Swiss composer, conductor, flautist and educator
 * Franz Treichler (born 1961) Swiss musician, member of The Young Gods
 * Alexander Laszlo (born 1964), polycultural systems scientist, residing in Argentina
 * Jean-Claude Bastos de Morais (born 1967), corrupt Swiss-Angolan entrepreneur
 * Alain Berset (born 1972), politician and member of the Swiss Federal Council
 * René Brülhart (born 1972), Swiss lawyer, president of the board of directors of the Financial Information Authority (AIF) of Vatican City
 * Mia Aegerter (born 1976), Swiss musician, model, and stage and film actress
 * BARON.E (formed 2019), a music duo formed by Faustine Pochon and Arnaud Rolle

 * Sport
 * Paul Aeby (1910–??), Swiss footballer, played for Switzerland in the 1938 FIFA World Cup
 * Georges Aeby (1913–1999), footballer, played for Switzerland in the 1938 FIFA World Cup
 * Jo Siffert (1936–1971), Swiss F1 racing driver
 * René Fasel (born 1950), president of the International Ice Hockey Federation; also a dentist
 * Sandra Kolly (born 1974), Swiss sport shooter, competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics
 * David Aebischer (born 1978), National Hockey League goaltender
 * Yves Miéville (born 1983), Swiss football player, over 250 team games
 * Pascal Mancini (born 1989), Swiss 100 metres sprinter, nandrolone user and racist
 * Volkan Oezdemir (born 1989), mixed martial artist

Sister cities

 * 🇧🇷 Nova Friburgo, Brazil

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Fribourg


text:
Talk:Freiburg im Breisgau

Untitled
"There are several other towns called Freiburg in Germany."

 * Which towns do you mean? I just know another Freiburg on the Elbe river, a tiny village, that shouldn't be worth mentioned. If there actually are other towns called Freiburg, we should mention them here with some more data. The above sentence is valid for almost every town, even for Berlin (since there is a village called Berlin in Schleswig-Holstein). -- Cordyph 11:51 Jan 2, 2003 (UTC)

I think that's it. --till we *)

I added that "several other towns". My map has:
 * Freiburg am Neckar
 * Freiburg (Elbe)
 * Freiburg im Breisgau
 * another Freiburg southwest of Dresden

I checked with ZIP codes by Deutsche Post AG and found two Freiburgs (Freiburg im Breisgau with 79xxx, and Freiburg (Elbe) with 21729 as ZIP code) as well as two lots of Freibergs. So it's just two towns in Germany named Freiburg, and Freiberg am Neckar and several other Freibergs. (I changed the article accordingly) --till we *) 18:58 Jan 5, 2003 (UTC)

Freiburg evidently has no history between 1827 and circa 1940 (i.e., literally no narrative in the article for that period). It's important to know how Freiburg fared during the decades leading up to the Third Reich.

- The population of 630,000 at the beginning of the article seems to be wrong. At the end of 2012 it was 224,191. See here: http://fritz.freiburg.de/scripts/fritz/fritz-view.exe?aw=Bevoelkerung/Region%20Bevoelkerung%20insgesamt%202010. I'm not sure where the other number came from so I haven't corrected this myself. Maybe it includes the area around Freiburg? Kaipix (talk) 10:50, 27 March 2012 (UTC)

- I have reverted 'entry point', in the introduction, back to 'entrepot'. Whereas the former term sounds like the planned entrance of professional robbers into a bank, the latter term is a generally recognised word implying a settlement commonly used as a means of entrance/distribution into a notional hinterland. I think this captures the essential meaning more effectively. [Welshentag]. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.143.92.165 (talk) 13:24, 14 September 2009 (UTC)

A plaque on the pedestrian and bycicle bridge over the railroad (by the jacket for those who know) says that 450 Jews were deported by the Nazis, not 360 as mentioned in the article. Should this be corrected? What source is the figure of 360 based on? --Linden16 09:55, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Can someone add more information about the illustrious University of Freiburg? It's one of the top German tertiary education institutions. I believe it deserves a special section in the city's entry. Anyone with good knowledge of the university (perhaps an alumni!) will be very helpful. --Kensai 19:46, 9 September 2005 (UTC)

 * It deserves and has a special article (with a not so fine name): Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg. --Ikar.us 19:57:54, 2005-09-09 (UTC)

What's wrong with the name? But of course the real name would be "Albert-Ludwigs-Universität zu Freiburg im Breisgau"...by the way I tried to complete the historic section of the university. -- Ecclesia 08:16, 19 January 2006 (UTC) Ecclesia

 * The name in English would be Albert Ludwig University. The 's' is wrong here (according to my limited knowledge of English). --Ikar.us 17:30, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

Ikar.usFrom your point of view you might be right but the "s" in "Albert Ludwigs University" is a part of the name. I even would say that "Albert Ludwigs University" is a compromise while its real name is "Albert-Ludwigs-Universität zu Freiburg im Breisgau". But I would claim that normally the names of institutions are spelled and pronounced in the language of its origin. Exceptions may be names like Munich or Cologne because lots of people have difficulties to pronounce an Umlaut properly (like there would be one in "München" or "Köln", f.e.). From there the Washington University in St. Louis in German is spelled the same way as in English (s. link in German Wikipedia: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_University_in_St._Louis) so a native German speaker following your suggestion would say "Washingtoner Universität in St. Louis", or, overdoing it: "Washingtoner Universität in St. Ludwig". -- Ecclesia 15:08, 20 January 2006 (UTC) Ecclesia

I changed the section about the Augustinerplatz as the Feierling Brewery's biergarten does not overlook the Augustinerplatz. It's actually a few meters removed and offers no sight whatsoever of the square. Axel Eble 10:24, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

Location
Can someone upload an image of where Freiburg is with relation to Germany on a map? thanks

 * Vou can tansfer :de:Bild:Lage_der_kreisfreien_Stadt_Freiburg_im_Breisgau_in_Deutschland.GIF
 * to commons. --Ikar.us 08:17, 15 September 2005 (UTC)

 * I tryed it, and it is already there, so I put it in the article. -- till we ☼ ☽ | Talk 11:03, 15 September 2005 (UTC)

Freiburg During WWII
Can someone add some photo or paragraph about Freiburg was hit by the Air Raid of RAF duirng WWII ? I understand it was the first city subjected to Air raid from RAF. --Hiens 08:37, 5 October 2007 (UTC)

The air raid of 10 May 1940 was an accidental bombing by Luftwaffe aircraft, though press reports at the time ascribed it to the Western Allies. If it had been the French or British air forces, it would indeed have been the first air attack on a German city. See the Wikipedia article on the | History of Freiburg. Thomas Peardew (talk) 11:23, 18 January 2022 (UTC)

I am a Freiburger
I was looking up a few things about my last name and found this. What do the locals mean when they say, "If you step in a Bachle, you will marry a Freiburger." Is this a good thing or are they making fun of my ancestors.
 * I was a student in Freiburg many years ago. Throughout the central

part of the town there are numerous 'Bächle', or 'little streams'. These are freshwater channels, generally 1 to 1.5 meter wide and half a meter deep, running along the edge of the streets, the water coming down from the Black Forest. They look like gutters, but are not. It is easy enough to inadvertantly step into one, if you aren't careful, something that drinking students may be more prone to than others. If you don't break an ankle, you will certainly have wet feet!
 * I never heard of the saying you mention. But the hazard is one

particular to this town and it is easy to imagine how it might have originated. Fortunatus6 17:14, 7 September 2006 (UTC)
 * It's neither - they're not making fun of you nor is it necessarily a

good thing. It's just a common saying, some local colloquialism that shouldn't be taken too seriously. Axel Eble 13:53, 13 September 2006 (UTC)
 * You should keep in mind that in the german language normally a "Freiburger" is

a person living in Freiburg, and not a person whose last name is "Freiburger". I can assure that nobody is making fun of your ancestors.

The tour guides also point out that saying. It is well-known, but just as a cute local saying. LTC (Ret.) David J. Cormier (talk) 20:48, 23 January 2012 (UTC)

Sister Cities
Sorry, but I never heard that Fryburg/Pennsylvania is a sister city of Freiburg.
 * You're right an anonymous editor vandalized the article on July 19 and it hasn't been changed since.--CarabinieriTTaallkk 11:48, 20 October 2006 (UTC)

There was never a "local lore" that the Bächle were used as sewers; to the contrary: It is widely known that usage of such led to massive penalties in the middle ages. I have therefore deleted this - as a Freiburger I must say: insulting - sentence, and put something better in it's place. But perhaps can anyone better this sentence, as my english is not the best?Christian Rößler 00:46, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freiburg_B%C3%A4chle for a (unattributed) reference to the bachle as sewers: looks like you could only use it as a sewer at night (abandoned later). Owen Watson (April 2015)

I'm the person who added Fryburg, Pennsylvania to the list of sister cities. My family is one of four that came from Freiburg, Germany in 1823 and started Fryburg, Pennsylvania. There is a small Catholic church in Fryburg Pennsylvania, St. Michael's, with four stained-glass windows - one for each of the four families that came to America and founded the small village. My family name is among those windows, and there's even a street named after my family in the town. I'd like to have the information about the connection to Freiburg, Germany displayed for all to see. Please stop deleting the sister city listing for Fryburg, Pennsylvania. Thanks. (This unsigned comment was added by anonymous user Special:Contributions/24.35.57.0 at 01:19, 17 January 2007)
 * The section is intended for official sister (or twin) towns. The information about Fryburg and other towns started by Freiburgers could probably be put somewhere else in the article. Lars T. 07:45, 17 January 2007 (UTC)
 * Or add this information to Washington Township, Clarion County, Pennsylvania and link back to the Freiburg article.imars 08:39, 17 January 2007 (UTC)

name
If the name of the city is Freiburg im Breisgau, why isn't this article called that? Adam 13:33, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

 * For the same reason Frankfurt am Main is at Frankfurt, this name is "what the majority of English speakers would most easily recognize" (WP:NAME).--Carabinieri 14:10, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

I doubt the majority of English speakers have ever heard of Freiburg, and if they have they probably think it's the one in Switzerland. Why create confusion where none need exist? I propose moving this article to Freiburg im Breisgau. Adam 15:04, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

 * Mh. I'd prefer to have a vote, I think it's a borderline case... — Nightst a  llion  (?) 17:19, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Fine. That's why I proposed it rather than did it. I will wait a few days and see what others think. Adam 00:10, 17 December 2006 (UTC)
 * What do english sources call the town? Which Freiburg is more notable? Agathoclea 16:24, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

That doesn't really matter, because the Swiss Freiburg is only called that way in German, in English it's called by its French name Fribourg; even Germans often call the city Fribourg. If one does, however, indeed compare the two cities, one will find that the German city has more than six times the population of the Swiss one, has an archdiocese, a university, which dates back to the 15th century, etc.--Carabinieri 20:23, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

 * Ooh boy. This is a toughie. Well you go to Freiburg's official website and they call themselves Freiburg im Breisgau (granted the im Breisgau are in letters so tiny that you don't notice them at first.) As far as which place English-speakers know better and which name is they use is really tough to judge. What you might do is copy the example of Frankfurt am Main. Leave the topic name as Freiburg and then link to a Freiburg disambiguation page in the first sentence. There is a German Freiburg disambiguation page with the two cities were talking about here, plus the Swiss canton, a region in Germany, and a city in Poland formerly known as Freiburg.

 * Anther option would be to rename the topic to Freiburg im Breisgau, since it is the official name. People looking for the German city of Freiburg would still see it in the search results or land on a disambiguation page. Is that so bad? imars 21:10, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

With both Freiburg and Frankfurt, there should disambiguations page called Freiburg and Frankfurt. These should lead to articles on the various Friburgs and Frankfurts, called by their correct name, eg Freiburg im Breisgau, Frankfurt am Main, etc. I don't see why this should be controversial. Adam 04:26, 20 December 2006 (UTC)

 * Because this Freiburg is the one most easily recognised by English-speaking people... — Nightst a  llion  (?) 11:39, 20 December 2006 (UTC)

90% of English-speaking people have never heard of Freiburg, and if they have it's probably the one in Switzerland, which despite being smaller is much better known. In any case, so what? Anyone looking up Freiburg will be directed to the one they want - that's the whole point of disambiguation pages. Adam 12:07, 20 December 2006 (UTC)

In English there is no Freiburg in Switzerland. The city is called Fribourg, except in German. Further, how do you get the idea the Swiss city is better known? The reason the Frankfurt article is about the city in Hesse is that most people who type in that word are looking for that city not Frankfurt an der Oder. The same way, most people who type in Freiburg are looking for Freiburg im Breisgau and not Fribourg, otherwise they would've typed in that word. What percentage of the English-speaking population knows the subject of an article is completely irrelevant, as far as picking the title, under which the article will go, is concerned.--Carabinieri 17:12, 20 December 2006 (UTC)
 * To confuse the matter a little more: according to the articles, Freiburg (i.B.) was founded by Duke Konrad (or Conrad) of Zähringen, while his son Berchtold IV founded Freiburg (now commonly known as Fribourg). Lars T. 15:11, 21 December 2006 (UTC)

Well you will have to make up your minds. Nightstallion says "this Freiburg is the one most easily recognised by English-speaking people", and when I dispute this, you say "What percentage of the English-speaking population knows the subject of an article is completely irrelevant." You can't argue both these positions simultaneously. As it happens I agree with you and not with Nightstallion. It is irrelevant, and it is also irrelevant what name people initially search for, because we have disambiguation pages to guide them to the article they want. (That's why Wikipedia is superior to paper encyclopaedias.) What is relevant is the real name of the city, which is Freiburg im Breisgau. I still can't see any good reason not to call the article that, and to use a disambiguation page at Freiburg to direct them to it. This should be the rule for all placenames. Adam 22:51, 20 December 2006 (UTC)

If our opinions are differentm we can in fact argue different position, that's the whole point of a dispute. The only odd thing here is that Nightstallio and I both come to the same conclusion with different arguments. The reason I believe that Freiburg im Breisgau should be located at Freiburg is that it would simply be an inconvenience for everyone looking for the city to have to look through a disambiguation page. This is especially the case with Frankfurt, where the overwhelming majority of people who type in the word will be looking for Frankfurt am Main and not Frankfurt an der Oder. Therefore it makes to have the articles under the shorter versions of the names and have notices mentioning the disambiguation pages at the top. I would, however, be ok with moving Freiburg to Freiburg im Breisgau and Frankfurt to Frankurt am Main if redirects are kept from the shorter names, i.e. that way the cities are under their official names, but people will find them without looking through disambiguation pages anyway.--Carabinieri 12:01, 21 December 2006 (UTC)

Making one mouse-click is an "inconvenience"? Come along now. And no, it doesn't make any kind of sense. There is in fact no city called either "Freiburg" or "Frankfurt." There are however several cities known by these names, which need to be disambiguated. If I search for "Frankfurt" I should expect to be taken to a disambiguation page which directs me to both Frankfurt am Main and Frankfurt an der Oder. I get where I want to go, plus I learn something. This is done, for example, with Portland and Perth. This seems so obvious to me I'm amazed it needs to be argued about. Adam 13:57, 21 December 2006 (UTC)

Why do you think USA redirects to the United States, UK to the United Kingdom, and LA to Los Angeles, California? Because of convenience, not because Wikipedia is trying to deprive them of finding out that LA is also an abbreviation for Language Arts like the disambiguation page tells us. You may expect a disambiguation page when you search for Frankfurt, but I think most people want to find out something about Frankfurt am Main. They may have read the name of the city somewhere and won't even know they are looking for Frankfurt am Main while scrolling through the disambiguation page. Since the official names of the cities are Freiburg im Breisgau and Frankfurt am Main, I don't have a problem with moving them there, like I wrote, as long as there are re-directs from Freiburg and Frankfurt respectively.--Carabinieri 14:40, 21 December 2006 (UTC)

Call me again when Washington, Freetown, San Diego etc. go to a disambiguation page instead of prominently showing the link to it right below the title. Lars T. 14:49, 21 December 2006 (UTC)
 * PS: not to mention Fribourg ;-) Lars T. 14:54, 21 December 2006 (UTC)

Carabinieri after a paragraph of argument finishes up supporting my position. Thanks. I'm not sure what position Lars is taking, but his examples actually reinforce my position. When I click Washington I expect to find an article on the city of Washington, and so will the great majority of non-Americans. Instead I find an article on Washington state. Someone has tried to guess what most people who click Washington will expect to find there. This should not be a process based on guesswork. What I should find at Washington is a disambiguation page. I completely reject that view that this causes "inconvenience." Two mouse-clicks is not inconvenience. Adam 23:51, 21 December 2006 (UTC)

 * My point is that there are guidelines to disambiguation:
 * Ask yourself: When a reader enters this term and pushes "Go", what article would they most likely be expecting to view as a result? (For example, when someone looks up Joker, would they find information on a comedian? On a card? On Batman's nemesis? On the hit song or album by The Steve Miller Band?) ... When a user searches for a particular term, he or she may have something else in mind than what actually appears. In this case, a friendly link to the alternative article is placed at the top.
 * IOW even if you managed to rename this page to Freiburg im Breisgau, the page Freiburg would probably still redirect here instead of being a disambiguation page, so the only difference would be the direction of the redirect. Last but not least, the town is only called Freiburg im Breisgau because there is no other way to disambiguate from possible other meanings in common language — but there is on Wikipedia. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Lars T. (talk • contribs) 07:12, 22 December 2006 (UTC).

To all of which I can only reply - so what? Why Freiburg im Breisgau is called Freiburg im Breisgau is irrelevant. The fact is, that is what it is called, so that should be the name of its article, not a false name, Freiburg. Anyway I am sick of thi circular argument. Adam 07:18, 22 December 2006 (UTC)

 * Now hold on, there is a big difference between the official name and the common name. There are countless examples of places and people being known by their common names instead of their official names. Canada vs Dominion of Canada, LA vs Los Angeles vs El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciúncula, America vs the United States of America. That does not necessarily make the common name "false," but for our purposes, we need to be careful when a common name can lead to confusion on the part of the readers of Wikipedia. This is where we do have to second guess. Take the last example, if our reader enters America, is he or she searching for the nation or the continents which Columbus "discovered"? There is a case where disambiguation would really be useful. The others could probably be safely redirected.

 * Now let's look at Freiburg. I have lived in southern Germany for the last 5 years and studied German nearly all my life and I have never heard anyone refer to Freiburg as Freiburg am Breisgau until I came across this discussion. OK, I am a scientific sample of one (=anecdotal), but I am willing to bet that a number of people here would agree with me. Nor have I ever heard of the Swiss city with the same/similar name. So Fribourg may not be as popular as you think under the name of Freiburg. Nor had I ever heard of the other possible targets for Freiburg that I listed in my earlier comment. My vote (if we are voting) would be for a search for the term Freiburg to land at this article and provide for a disambiguation link to the other Freiburgs at the top of the article. As to whether the article is called Freiburg or Freiburg im Breisgau, I do not really care. What you want to be careful of is when people enter things like LA and land in an article titled, El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciúncula. To borrow a Germanism, you don't want people feeling like they walked into the wrong movie when they see the title. imars 09:40, 22 December 2006 (UTC)

 * While we're at it: A) it's City of Los Angeles. B) Sting should be renamed Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, CBE (the title being part of the official name). Lars T. 06:43, 23 December 2006 (UTC)

 * That is precisely what I mean, Lars! Sting is a great example. Anyone looking for Sting would be shocked to come across his real name in a search. So that entry definitely belongs under Sting if there are no other major conflicts with the topic title. imars 08:15, 23 December 2006 (UTC)

Although I disagree with him on placing a disambiguation page at Freiburg (for the simple reason that there aren't any other subjects anywhere nearly as well-known as Freiburg im Breisgau, which share this name), I'm going to have to agree with him to a certain extent. There is a difference between El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciúncula and Freiburg im Breisgau. If you arrive in Freiburg by train, the sign at the station will in fact say Freiburg im Breisgau or Freiburg (Breisgau) (I'm not sure which). Some atlases as well as at least one (the German Brockhaus; I don't know about any others) also list the city under that name. So I would be ok with having the article named Freiburg or Freiburg im Breisgau as long as there is a redirect from the other term.--Carabinieri 17:04, 23 December 2006 (UTC)
 * PS: The online edition of Britannica uses ''Freiburg (im Breisgau)'.--Carabinieri 17:06, 23 December 2006 (UTC)

BBC coverage
I just saw something (about an hour ago) on BBC World covering Freiburg (and thought that all those bikes, that is like Lund!). Perhaps someone could find that and link to from this article. -Anonymous Coward08:40, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

Anonymous edits
Someone has been making multiple anonymous edits to this article lately, a few minutes apart, and with a lot of English errors. This makes it more difficult and time-consuming to track changes and correct them. The edits are coming from a few German IP addresses. It would be much easier for us en users who watch this page if the anonymous editor(s) would submit their changes over fewer sessions, and be more careful with the English. I am posting a message in German to ask the anonymous editors to consider condensing their edits and signing their edit summaries:

An die anonyme Bearbeiter(innen): Hallo und danke für Ihre Beiträge. Es wäre für uns (en-Benutzer) viel leichter beim Korrekturlesen, wenn Sie mehrere Bearbeitungen auf einer Editiersitzung machen würden, anstatt eine Reihe von kleineren alle paar Minuten zu machen. Wenn Sie Benutzer auf de.wikipedia.org sind, aber keine Lust haben, einen Benutzernamen hier auf en zu schaffen, könnten Sie sich wahlweise durch eine Unterschrift in der Zusammenfassung bekanntmachen, z.B.: de:Benutzer: oder: de:Benutzer_Diskussion:. Auf diese Weise können wir besser an diesen Artikel zusammenarbeiten. Danke im Voraus! -Eric talk 06:14, 20 January 2008 (UTC)

Gerdvic von Holtzapple
In the section Notable residents, it is stated that Gerdvic von Holtzapple was the last commander of the 10th SS Panzer Division Frundsberg during World War II. However, in the article on the 10th SS Panzer Division Frundsberg, Franz Roestel is listed as the last commander. There must be an error in one of the articles. Coyets (talk) 14:05, 17 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Even if this guy had ever existed there seems to be no reason why he should have been a notable resident. Almost as importantly, his name sounds much more like something made up by an English speaker than a real German name, and the careless orthography underscores this. I removed this guy as a likely prank. --Hans Adler (talk) 12:25, 18 May 2008 (UTC)

Baden Airpark & Ryanair
Ryanair seems to have changed their base to the Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg Euroairport, can someone confirm this? -- Boggie (talk) 19:59, 5 December 2008 (UTC)

File:Freiburg Schlossbergturm Panorama 2010.jpg to appear as POTD soon
Hello! This is a note to let the editors of this article know that File:Freiburg Schlossbergturm Panorama 2010.jpg will be appearing as picture of the day on March 18, 2012. You can view and edit the POTD blurb at Template:POTD/2012-03-18. If this article needs any attention or maintenance, it would be preferable if that could be done before its appearance on the Main Page so Wikipedia doesn't look bad. :) Thanks! — howcheng  {chat} 00:48, 17 March 2012 (UTC)

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title: Talk:Freiburg im Breisgau


text:
Talk:Iterative method

History section is too shallow
First, it ignores work by Gauss predecessors, including Newton. Second, it ignores the real world drivers (astronomy, business, and military issues) behind the effort to establish quicker tabulation methods. --70.112.146.196 17:30, 8 July 2006 (UTC)

 * I stumbled upon this article and was surprised Newton's method was not even mentioned indeed. Isn't it a good simple example of iterative method?--Grondilu (talk) 16:32, 8 March 2014 (UTC)

Cost of moving, cost of evaluation?
In iterative methods, there may be cases where the cost of moving from one point to the next varies with location (e.g., it might cost more to move from (1,0,0,0) to (4,3,2,1) than to (2,0,0,0)); there also may be cases where the cost of evaluation is location-dependent (e.g., evaluating f(1000,1000) may cost less than evaluating f(42,37)). In such cases, the optimal "next guess" would be different than if these constraints did not exist. Is there literature on this sort of thing? —Ben FrantzDale 04:53, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

 * Can you give an example of a realistic problem where evaluating a cost function at a point requires significantly more computation than evaluating the same cost function at a different point? Oleg Alexandrov (talk) 06:22, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

 * One thing I'm thinking about is mesh adaptation for finite element analysis. Refining the mesh lets you explore a higher-dimensional solution space but at a computational cost. Another example is minimizing the energy of a bunch of atoms. Moving a bunch of atoms is O(N). Suppose you are doing steepest decent. If you knew that the force was almost zero for most atoms and only significant for n atoms, you could move from one configuration to another in O(n) time, putting off the O(N) step until it becomes necessary. I have other crazy ideas in mind as well.
 * A less-abstract example came up in real life. I was hiking with my brother in the hills near San Diego (photo). We were trying to get to the top of a hill. There was no trail, so we were bushwhacking. From a distance, it wasn't possible to tell if bushes were small and could be walked over or were head-height and tangled. We tried to get to the top as quickly as possible, so we went for the shortest route, but as we went along, the bushes slowed us down, so we followed the path that seemed locally to be optimal in terms of time and in terms of scratches from branches. If we had known a priori that basically the top of the hill was densely covered in one convex patch, we could have used that knowledge to first find the edge of the dense vegetation, then traverse that edge to find the highest easily-walkable point, then go from there to the top.
 * Does that make sense? Are there mathematical tools to discuss such things? —Ben FrantzDale 07:34, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

 * Interesting question, Ben FrantzDale.
 * The algorithms used in motion planning and pathfinding are more relevant to physically climbing a physical hill than mathematical hill climbing methods that metaphorically climb an imaginary, abstract hill.
 * Many people are trying to collect enough shortcut heuristics, some of them similar to the one you mentioned, such that applying all of them helps solve the protein folding problem to give results that are "accurate enough" to be useful in a reasonable amount of CPU time.
 * Similarly, n-body simulation there are shortcut heuristics that give "accurate enough" simulations in less CPU time; and a few characteristics that can be calculated directly without doing any simulation.
 * Is there a general field of study that covers all of these very specific examples? --DavidCary (talk) 15:13, 27 March 2015 (UTC)

Iterative method for division algorithms and its generalization to the LSE solving
Standard division algorithms – restoring and non-restoring procedures - iterative produce one digit of the final quotient per iteration. The division methods are all based on the form X = b / A, where •	X = Quotient •	b = Dividend •	A = Divisor Division methods are all based on a standard recurrence equation: Wk+1 =2Wk - Aqk, where: •	Wk = the partial remainder of the division, •	qk = the digit of the quotient X  in k-th position, •	A = the divisor.

Both restoring and non-restoring divisions are based on the analysis of the sign of the partial remainder Wk. If Wk  >= 0, then the divisor A  is subtracted from the partial remainder Wk, if  Wk  < 0  then the divisor A is added to the partial remainder  Wk. Both methodes doesn’t take into account the value of the partial remainder  Wk, only its sign.

Taking into account the value of the most significant digit of the partial remainder  Wk,  can accelerate the division process. If the most significant digit of the Wk  is “1”, then we choose according to the sign of  Wk  -  addition or subtraction  the divisor A  to  the Wk  and write -1 or +1 to the correspondingly position of the quotient X  as in non-restoring division procedure.

But if the most significant digit of  the  Wk  is “0”, then we skip this iteration and write “0” to the correspondingly position of the quotient  X. So we get the quotient in the ternary system with the set of digits: {+1, 0, -1},  which  is converted  then very easy into traditional binary system.

Evidently this approach can be generalized to the vectors and matrices. For example if  A -  m-th order matrix,  b – the right part of the linear system of equations, X – the vector of the unknowns, we have: X = b A-1 , or: AX - b = 0 For the k-th iteration: AXk - b = Wk, where: Wk  - value of residual vector for k-th iteration; Xk  - value of result vector of unknowns on k-th iteration. vladimir@baykov.de — Preceding unsigned comment added by Vladimir Baykov (talk • contribs) 14:52, 12 March 2011 (UTC)

Proposed merge of Methods of successive approximation into Iterative method
As per numerical analysis, "iterative methods form successive approximations that converge to the exact solution". fgnievinski (talk) 02:56, 21 December 2023 (UTC) fgnievinski (talk) 02:56, 21 December 2023 (UTC)

title: Talk:Iterative method


text:
Horned owl

The American (North and South America) horned owls and the Old World eagle-owls make up the genus Bubo, at least as traditionally described. The genus name Bubo is Latin for owl.

This genus contains ten species that are found in many parts of the world. Some of the largest living Strigiformes are in Bubo. Traditionally, only owls with ear-tufts were included in this genus, but that is no longer the case.

Taxonomy
The genus Bubo was introduced in 1805 by the French zoologist André Duméril for the horned owls. The type species is the Eurasian eagle-owl. The word bubo is Latin for the Eurasian eagle owl and was used as the specific epithet for the species by Carl Linnaeus in 1758.

A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2020 found that species in the genera Scotopelia and Ketupa were embedded within the clade containing members of the genus Bubo making the genus Bubo paraphyletic. To create monophyletic genera nine species were moved from Bubo to Ketupa.

Species
The genus contains 10 extant species:
 * Snowy owl, Bubo scandiacus
 * Great horned owl, Bubo virginianus
 * Lesser horned owl, Bubo magellanicus
 * Eurasian eagle-owl, Bubo bubo
 * Indian eagle-owl, Bubo bengalensis
 * Pharaoh eagle-owl, Bubo ascalaphus
 * Cape eagle-owl, Bubo capensis
 * Arabian eagle-owl, Bubo milesi
 * Greyish eagle-owl, Bubo cinerascens
 * Spotted eagle-owl, Bubo africanus

Sometimes included in this genus:
 * Verreaux's Eagle-owl, Ketupa lactea
 * Spot-bellied Eagle-owl, Ketupa nipalensis
 * Barred Eagle-owl,Ketupa sumatrana
 * Fraser's Eagle-owl,Ketupa poensis
 * Akun eagle-owl, Ketupa leucosticta
 * Philippine eagle-owl, Ketupa philippensis
 * Dusky eagle-owl, Ketupa coromanda
 * Shelley's eagle-owl, Ketupa shelleyi
 * Blakiston's fish owl, Ketupa blakistoni
 * Brown fish owl, Ketupa zeylonensis
 * Tawny fish owl, Ketupa flavipes
 * Buffy fish owl, Ketupa ketupu
 * Pel's fishing owl, Scotopelia peli
 * Rufous fishing owl, Scotopelia ussheri
 * Vermiculated fishing owl, Scotopelia bouvieri

Fossil record
Named and distinct Bubo species are:
 * Bubo florianae (Late Miocene of Csákvár, Hungary, tentatively placed here)
 * Bubo leakeyae (Early Pleistocene of Tanzania)
 * Bubo binagadensis (Late Pleistocene of Binagady, Azerbaijan)
 * Bubo osvaldoi (Pleistocene of Cuba)
 * Bubo insularis (Pleistocene of Sardinia)

Some notable undescribed fossils of prehistoric horned owls, usually quite fragmentary remains, have also been recorded:
 * Bubo sp. (Late Pliocene of Senèze, France)
 * Bubo sp. (Late Pliocene of Rębielice Królewskie, Poland; tentatively placed here)
 * Bubo sp. (Late Pleistocene of San Josecito Cavern, Mexico)

Specimen UMMP V31030, a Late Pliocene coracoid from the Rexroad Formation of Kansas (US), cannot be conclusively assigned to either Bubo or Strix. This fossil is from a taxon similar in size to the great horned owl (B. virginianus) or the great grey owl (S. nebulosa).

The Sinclair owl (Bubo sinclairi) from Late Pleistocene California may have been a paleosubspecies of the great horned owl, while the roughly contemporary Bubo insularis of the central and eastern Mediterranean has been considered a junior synonym of a brown fish owl paleosubspecies. Additional paleosubspecies are discussed on the appropriate species page.

Several presumed Bubo fossils have turned out to be from different birds. The Late Eocene/Early Oligocene eared owls "Bubo" incertus and "Bubo" arvernensis are now placed in the fossil barn-owl genera Nocturnavis and Necrobyas, respectively. "Bubo" leptosteus is now recognized as primitive owl in the genus Minerva (formerly Protostrix). "Bubo" poirreiri from the Late Oligocene or Early Miocene of Saint-Gérard-le-Puy in France, is now placed in Mioglaux.

On the other hand, the supposed fossil heron "Ardea" lignitum from the Late Pliocene of Plaue-Rippersroda (Germany) was apparently an owl and close to Bubo or more probably actually belongs here. Given its age – about 2 million years ago or so – it is usually included in the Eurasian eagle-owl today.

Interactions with humans
Because of their nocturnal habits, most owls do not directly interact with humans. However, in 2015, an eagle owl in Purmerend, Netherlands, attacked some fifty people before it was caught by a hired falconer.

title: Horned owl