Even though archaeological finds show that the area was settled in the
late Stone Age and
Bronze Age, no proof has been found yet to suggest a continuous settlement until the 8th century AD. Around 700 AD the Frankish
Agilolfing dukes built a simple palace on the highest hill in Freising as part of its
Duchy of Bavaria. In 724 AD, the Frankish Saint
Corbinian was sent to the Duchy of Bavaria by the Catholic Church to
spread Christianity. On the highest hill in Freising, where there was already a simple sanctuary, Corbinian erected a
Benedictine monastery and a school, to help preach the Gospel to the
local people. According to his
Vita by Bishop
Arbeo, Corbinian was on his way to
Rome when his
packhorse was attacked and killed by a wild bear. By divine power, Corbinian ordered the bear to carry his luggage over the
Alps. When he finally arrived in Rome he let the bear free. The saddled bear is still the symbol of the city, displayed in the coat of arms, as well as statues and paintings. After Corbinian's death,
Saint Boniface established Freising as a Catholic
diocese. Between 764–783, Bishop
Arbeo founded a library and a
scriptorium (writing room) at the abbey. The settlement started to become a religious centre. The
earliest recorded tornado in Europe struck Freising in 788. The mortal remains of
Pope Alexander I are said to have been transferred to Freising in 834. In 996, Freising received city rights from Emperor
Otto III. As early as the 10th century, in order to collect additional revenue, monks were sent from Freising down the
Isar River to build a toll bridge on the
Salt Road between Salzburg and Augsburg. This village would be later known as München (or
Munich, which means 'of the monks'). By 1158,
Duke Henry the Lion destroyed the bridge and customs building and built new ones closer to his home further downriver, (near the center of modern downtown Munich), so that he could collect the revenue instead. The construction of the
Freising Cathedral in its current
Romanesque style started in 1159 and was completed in 1205. The Romanesque wooden ceiling was replaced by a gothic vault in 1481–1483. Freising went through difficult times during the
Thirty Years' War. In 1632, the Swedish King
Gustavus Adolphus came through Freising on his way to Munich. He demanded 30,000 guilders as the sum to protect the city from destruction. Nevertheless, his army sacked the city. Hunger and plague raged when the Swedes invaded the city again in 1646. In 1674, the Church placed a statue of the Virgin Mary in the city square as a sign that war and plague had been overcome. A wave of
witch hunts and trials broke out from 1715–1717 in Freising, and again in 1721–1723. Most of the accused were child beggars. Several children were executed. In 1802/1803 Bavaria fell under the influence of Napoleonic France and church-controlled lands were
secularized. In Freising, the more than thousand-year-old bishopric was abolished. The Roman Catholic Church lost most of its properties and authority over the city. Although the seat of the
diocese was moved to Munich in 1821, including the elevation to an archdiocese, Freising has remained the seat of diocesan administration until today. The Diocesan Museum is located in Freising. In 1858 the
Bavarian Eastern Railway Company built the first railway line from Munich to Freising, Landshut and Regensburg for passenger and rail traffic. Near the
end of the Second World War, Allied aircraft bombed Freising on 18 April 1945. By 30 April, units of the US Army arrived in Freising. In 1998,
Mamdouh Mahmud Salim, also known as Abu Hajir al-Iraqi, a key figure in the founding of
al-Qaeda and a trusted associate of
Osama Bin Laden, was apprehended in Freising. In 2006,
Pope Benedict XVI visited Freising during a papal visit. He was formerly archbishop of Munich/Freising from 1977 to 1982. == Education and research ==