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Freiberg is located in the centre of the state of Saxony in the picturesque Erzgebirge Mountains, 40 km southwest of Dresden and 240 km south of Berlin. Freiberg is more than 850 years old and was founded after the discovery of silver ore in 1168. Today, Freiberg has around 40,000 inhabitants. The medieval heart of the town, which is almost completely intact, is very attractive: the Upper Market Square with its late Gothic patrician houses and the Freiberg cathedral at the Lower Market Square with its famous Silbermann organ and golden portal. Along with the world's oldest town theatre, a modern multiplex cinema, nightclubs, more than a hundred restaurants, cafés, and pubs invite you to take a break and enjoy life. There are sports facilities, a modern open-air and indoor swimming pool, and a park which surrounds the town centre like a green belt. Since 2008, the mineral collection "Terra Mineralia" functions as a centre of attraction for tourists, students, and inhabitants of Freiberg. The mineral collection, one of the largest collections in the world, is shown in the refurbished castle "Freudenstein" in the town centre. The nearby "Saxon Switzerland" national park and the Erzgebirge Mountains are beautiful places for a wide variety of outdoor activities including hiking and climbing in the summer and skiing in the winter. Dresden, Leipzig, and Berlin are easily accessible by train and offer plenty of social, cultural, and recreational alternatives.