Green City Freiburg in August 2026

We took a trip to Mundenhof animal park yesterday. I’ve been hiding inside most of the summer, because temperatures around here have been insane. After a shorter heatwave with days over 40°C, this second heatwave hasn’t been quite as hot (mid 30s °C), but long and relentless. This obviously had a serious effect on nature, but it wasn’t until yesterday that I really saw the full extent of the damage. I realize that there are tons of other places that have it way worse. As far as I know, there haven’t been any wildfires here. People are encouraged not to waste water, but we don’t have to ration either. I have friends that have to cope with one or the other — or both — and I understand that things still are relatively good here. But I was still shocked. I’ve lived here for 20 years and I’ve never seen the city this dry and dead, especially not in August. It looks like late fall! Let me take you on a little journey. This is the Dreisam, the river that flows through Freiburg. It’s not…