Freising is one of the oldest settlements in Bavaria, becoming a major religious centre in the early Middle Ages.

Some important historical documents were created between 900 and 1200 in its monastery: The above and other scripts from that time can be found in the "Bayerische Staatsbibliothek" (Bavarian State Library) in Munich.

Around 700 AD the Frankish Agilolfing dukes built a simple palace on the highest hill in Freising as part of its Duchy of Bavaria.

[3] In 724 AD, the Frankish Saint Corbinian was sent to the Duchy of Bavaria by the Catholic Church to spread Christianity.

On the highest hill in Freising, where there was already a simple sanctuary, Corbinian erected a Benedictine monastery and a school, to help preach the Gospel to the local people.

According to his Vita by Bishop Arbeo, Corbinian was on his way to Rome when his packhorse was attacked and killed by a wild bear.

The saddled bear is still the symbol of the city, displayed in the coat of arms, as well as statues and paintings.

As early as the 10th century, in order to collect additional revenue, monks were sent from Freising down the Isar River to build a toll bridge on the Salt Road between Salzburg and Augsburg.

By 1158, Duke Henry the Lion destroyed the bridge and customs building and built new ones closer to his home further downriver, (near the center of modern downtown Munich), so that he could collect the revenue instead.

In 1674, the Church placed a statue of the Virgin Mary in the city square as a sign that war and plague had been overcome.

[10] In 1802/1803 Bavaria fell under the influence of Napoleonic France in which church controlled lands were secularized.

[13] In 1998, Mamdouh Mahmud Salim, also known as Abu Hajir al-Iraqi, a key figure in the founding of al-Qaeda and a trusted associate of Osama Bin Laden, was apprehended in Freising.

It has been developed into the so-called "Green Center of Bavaria" for decades and continues to be modernized and designed as a "science and research campus".

The Institut für Theologische und Pastorale Fortbildung Freising is dedicated to the continuing education of pastoral counselors.

Further offers are provided by the Katholisches Kreisbildungswerk and the Pallotti-Haus, a Christian educational house and therapy center.

The central library of the Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences is located in the Hofgarten in Weihenstephan.

It is a public institution, open to all citizens and offers a reference library with about 4500 volumes in a reading room.