Saturday, September 20, 2014

Freyung

Freyung is a square in the city center. In the 12th century, Irish Monks arrived by invitation of Duke Henry II of Austria to build a monastery. The monastery is called Schottenkloster, meaning Scottish Monastery, as Ireland at that time was known as New Scotland. The name Freyung has its origin from the old German word "frey", meaning "free". Since the monastery had the privilege of freedom from ducal authority, as well as the right to grant protection to fugitives, the square gained its name from its proximity to the Schottenkloster. Since the Imperial Palace was not far, in the 17th and 18th centuries many aristocrats established their city residences at the square,

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