Freiburg Charterhouse

The foundation of the Carthusian monastery, which bore the name “St. John the Baptist's Mountain,” likely occurred in 1345 through Freiburg mayor Johannes Snewlin, known as the Gresser. Initially, the complex comprised two monastic cells on a plot of land by the Mußbach, which the city of Freiburg transferred to the monks in 1346. After the founder's death in 1347, the Carthusian monastery was expanded to five cells, and later to twelve. In the early 16th century, a refectory and a church were added. Under Prior Gregor Reisch, a Late Scholastic scholar and university professor, the monastery experienced its heyday and maintained relations with the University of Freiburg, which also led to the establishment of a library. During the Thirty Years' War, the Carthusian monastery suffered damage from Swedish armies, after which the monks sought refuge in Switzerland. Between 1753 and 1756, the complex was expanded with a Baroque courtyard of honor.