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Freiburg im Breisgau is an independent city in Baden-Württemberg. From 1945 until the founding of the state of Baden-Württemberg on April 25, 1952, Freiburg im Breisgau was the capital of the state of Baden. The southernmost city in Germany is the seat of the Freiburg Regional Council as well as the Southern Upper Rhine Regional Association and the Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald district. It is almost completely surrounded by this district, to which it does not belong; as an independent city, Freiburg forms an urban district. As of December 31, 2022, the city, located on the Dreisam River, had 236,140 inhabitants. It thus ranks fourth on the list of the largest cities in Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, Mannheim and Karlsruhe. In 2021, 354,500 people lived in the urban area and directly adjacent communities. According to the OECD, the population of the Freiburg metropolitan area (including the districts of Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald and Emmendingen) was 661,204 in 2020. It is located in the trinational Upper Rhine metropolitan region with around six million inhabitants. Due to its environmental activities, the city has been adorning and marketing itself with the title "Green City" since 2008. The one square kilometer old town with its landmarks - especially the cathedral and the Bächle - is the destination of over three million visitors every year. With the Albert Ludwig University founded in 1457, Freiburg is one of the classic German university cities.