Breisgau

Breisgau (brīs`gou), region, Baden-Württemburg, SW Germany, including the Rhine plain and the western slopes of the Black Forest. Freiburg is the chief city. After the extinction (1218) of the first house of Zähringen, it was divided among various heirs. Most of it passed to the Hapsburgs in 1368. France held the region at various times in the 17th–18th cent. In 1805 the Breisgau was divided between Baden and Württemburg; the latter gave its share to Baden in 1810.

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Breisgau

Historic region, southwestern Germany. Located between the Rhine River and the Black Forest, it was once part of the Roman empire. From the 3rd century AD it was occupied by the Germanic Alemanni. It became a countship in the early Middle Ages, and in 1120 the town of Freiburg im Breisgau was founded. In the 14th century the Habsburgs incorporated most of it into their domains. Breisgau was subjected to destructive sieges during the Thirty Years' War, and for a time was held by the Swedes. It now forms part of the state of Baden-Württemberg.