FREISING

city, Bavaria Land (state), southern Germany. It lies along the Isar River, north-northeast of Munich. It was the site of a castle in the 8th century, and, after the missionary bishop Korbinian came there in 724 and St. Boniface established the bishopric in 739, it became the ecclesiastical and cultural centre of old Bavaria. The bishopric was secularized in 1803, later reconstituted, and transferred to Munich in 1821. The city is dominated by the Domberg (Cathedral Hill) with its cathedral (11601205), St. John's Church (131921), and the Benedict Church (c. 1160, altered 1716). Freising's other notable buildings include St. George's Church (c. 1440), the former Benedictine abbey of Weihenstephan (now a college of agriculture and brewing), the abbey brewery (licensed since 1146, one of the oldest in the world), and the former bishops' palace. Besides brewing, Freising's industries include the manufacture of electrical machinery and textiles. Pop. (1993 est.) 38,928.