The founder of the city of Friborg is considered to be Duke Berthold IV of Tsering, who founded it before 1179. After the death of the Dukes of Zähring, this city was accepted into his and Imperial protection in 1219 by Emperor Frederick II, after whose death he surrendered himself under the protection first of the Count of Kyburg in Burgdorf, and then, on certain conditions, of the Habsburg counts, and thus of the House of Austria, to which he remained loyal, providing many useful services until 1450, in which he surrendered to the Duke of Savoy Ludwig, leaving his rights and liberties to himself; whose son Amadeus IX the widow and guardian of her son Philibert renounced in 1477, with the permission of the Savoy Parliament, the right to this city, which, having thus received complete freedom, was accepted into the eternal Swiss Union in 1481.
The coat of arms of the glorious city of Friborg is a shield divided in two, the upper half of which is black and the lower half is white. Some believe that these colors symbolize the spotted, black and white cows of the canton of Friborg. What did Friborg cows do to deserve such an honor? After all, they are much lazier than their Bernese white-fawn sisters, they are very rough in build and are undoubtedly inferior in beauty to the red cows of Wallis. But they have a huge advantage over all the cows in the world. It is from their milk that the famous Gruyère cheese is made!
Black and piebald Friborg cows graze peacefully on the green alpine slopes, slowly chewing lush grass and thoughtfully looking into the distance. These cute animals are distinguished by their extraordinary friendliness. Seeing a traveler wandering along a steep mountain path, they rush to meet him to get to know each other. The bells on their mighty necks ring in every key, and for the villagers there is no better music. At night, the fog rises from the earth, which has warmed up during the day, it slowly envelops the forest, meadows, hills and hollows, and the cows, sighing sadly, disappear into a mysterious white blanket. They are not visible, but a quiet and gentle ringing is heard everywhere. Needless to say, Friborg cows deserve to have the coat of arms of the ancient city reflect the colors of their majestic sides! But there is another explanation for where the black and white colors came from in the coat of arms of Friborg. That's what the legend says.
This was in the twelfth century. In a wilderness called Juchtland, which means “desert,” stood a huge castle with a drawbridge, surrounded by deep ditches. Duke Berthold IV of Zähringen lived there. One day the Duke and his friends went hunting. Chasing a fleet-footed deer, he became separated from his retinue and soon got lost in a dense forest. The sun has set, night has fallen on the earth. The wind rose. It began to rain. In the darkness, Berthold could not find his way to the castle. He was already preparing to spend the night right on the ground, in a bed of wet leaves, when suddenly a light flashed among the trees.
Stumbling over the roots of centuries-old fir trees and cursing the tenacious thorny bush, which kept trying to grab his boots or tear his clothes, the Duke walked into the light. Soon he reached a small hut on the edge of the forest. Bertholdt knocked on the door. A short, bearded man opened the door for him. A young woman and several grimy children came out into the hallway and stared at the stranger with curiosity. The owner of the hut was a coal miner; his craft was indicated not only by the color of the children’s faces, but also by the large bags of coal lying on the floor. The coal miner and his wife warmly received the stranger, sat him down by the fire and fed him bread and cheese. These people did not recognize the Duke of Zähringen in the dirty and tired man, because when he went hunting, he did not wear armor, a cloak lined with ermine, or a ceremonial doublet with embroidery. And the Duke, fearing to confuse the poor, decided not to reveal who he really was. He warmed himself by the fire with pleasure and complained about the bad weather. The coal miner's wife prepared the guest's bed. The tired hunter sat comfortably on a modest bed. A few minutes later he was already sleeping like a hero.
The next day, when the Duke of Zähringen woke up, there was no one in the house. Apparently the coal miner and his wife went about their business, taking their children with them. Berthold left the hut. It was a great morning! The sun was shining brightly in the blue sky. The fresh, cool air was filled with the smells of herbs and meadow flowers. The wind blew, the trees rustled and shook their branches, as if welcoming the Duke. In the distance, Berthold saw his castle, built on a high rock. Swift swallows flew around the huge tower of this majestic structure.
The Duke, contemplating the wonderful picture unfolding before his eyes, thought: “Shouldn’t we build a city around the castle? Let it be free, rich and powerful, and let its inhabitants be happy!” For a long time, Berthold IV dreamed of building a stronghold that would help him keep a hundred rebellious Burgundian barons in check, but he still could not find a worthy place for this.
Just what banner should we give to the future city?
Bertholdt thought and lowered his head. Absentmindedly, he looked at his suit and laughed loudly, for the left side of his clothes was white and the right side was black. The fact is that the coal miner’s wife did not come up with anything better than making the guest a bed on two large bags, one of which was filled with flour and the other with coal. That's why the Duke's outfit took on such a strange look.
- It's decided! - said Berthold, - the colors of the coal miner’s bed will be the colors of my city.
The Duke of Zähringen carried out his plan. In 1178 he founded the city, calling it Freiburg, which means “free city” in German. Berthold IV gave the banner and coat of arms of Friborg (as the name of this city sounds in French) the colors - black and white, in memory of the night spent in a poor man's hut.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru