ABSTRACT
The date of completion of the tower of Freiburg Minster is not exactly known but the dendrochronological dating of the belfry to 1290/91 leaves a completion in 1320 plausible. The 116 m-high tower and in particular the spire consist of roughly 75% of the original construction material. The open-work spire marks the upper end of the Freiburg Minster. It rises above the "octagon" with its eight pillars and the large, open, tracery windows. The spire of the 116 m-high west tower of Freiburg Minster can be dated to ca. 1300 AD and is not only the symbol of the city in southwestern Germany but also an architectural monument of highest rank. With its 45 m, the spire is the tallest ever built of its kind and still contains three-quarters of the original sandstone. The structure of the spire consists of eight corner struts and intervening tracery layers arranged in seven levels.
