The cultural and economic seat of the Black Forest and parts of the upper Rhine valley, Freiburg is a tourist and conference hub. It serves as the regional shopping and business centre for prosperous southern Baden. High technology (particularly biotechnology) also contributes to the local economy. In 2000 former military barracks were purchased by the city from the federal government, enabling the building of several thousand new housing units. About one-fourth of the city is residential, with the remainder comprising oak and pine forests, farmland, and parkland.

Despite the destructive bombing campaign of World War II, the city retains several notable historic buildings. The Basler Hof, the former residence of the chapter of Basel Cathedral, now houses the city's administrative offices. The Münster, begun in the 13th century and the seat (since 1827) of a Roman Catholic archbishopric, was the only German cathedral to be completed in the Gothic style between the 12th and 16th centuries; its 370-foot (113-metre) tower, its richly decorated main entrance, and the triptych by Hans Baldung-Grien (Baldung-Grien, Hans) on the high altar are particularly noteworthy. Other notable buildings include the Franciscan Church of St. Martin (dating from the 13th century), the 16th-century town hall, the Jesuit church (1685–1701), and the 18th-century Wenzingerhaus, now the state college of music. Centuries-old streams of water from the Black Forest flow open at street level (purportedly to help cool and clean the town). The city is the seat of Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg, founded in 1457 by Albrecht VI. The Augustiner Museum contains valuable works of medieval and Baroque art from the upper Rhine district. Also in the city are the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and the Max Planck Institute of Foreign and International Criminal Law; there are also museums of natural science, folklore, and prehistory. Pop. (2003 est.) 212,495.