Freiung

The red-white-red painted wooden arm with the sword in its hand and the Habsburg double-headed eagle
double-headed eagle, which adorns the main square from May to October, is called the Freiung. It is a replica of the original, which is now on display in the Freistadt Castle Museum.

In the Middle Ages, a Freiung (originally "Freyung") was an area within whose boundaries exemption from otherwise generally applicable taxes or other legal regulations applied. This meant that every trader who visited the market here was also subject to Freistadt jurisdiction. If a market was held, the princely keeper in Freistadt was allowed to administer justice and the judgement was also enforced locally. Even today, the Freiung only hangs from spring to autumn, when the market is held on the main square every Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. Now let's take a look at where the provincial governor had his seat.