June 21, 2010

German Phrase of the Week

Stadtluft macht frei.
  • City air makes you free.
  • Meaning: In medieval times peoples living in free cities were free from a sovereign. They were not bond-slaves like the people in rural areas. So living in a city - ´breathing city air´- meant to be free from bond-slavery to a sovereign. People living in cities could express their own opinion without being harassed. If people escaped to a free city and lived there for one year and one day, they were free of any previous bond to a sovereign.
Jun 21, 2010 8:22:18 AM | German Culture, Phrase of the Week

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