Brunswick

BRUNSWICK, a city of Germany, capital of the Land and former duchy of that name (Braunschweig), situated in a fertile and undulating country, on the Oker, S3m. N.W. of Mag deburg, on the main railway from Berlin. Pop. (1933) 156,840. Brunswick is said to have been founded about 861 by Bruno, son of Duke Ludolf of Saxony, from whom it takes its name. After wards fortified and improved by Henry the Lion, it became one of the most important cities of northern Germany. For a long time its constitution was rather peculiar, as it consisted of five separate townlets, each with its own walls and gates, its own council and Rathaus. In the 13th century it ranked among the first cities of the Hanseatic League. It later declined in prosperity in consequence of the divisions of territory, the jealousy of the neighbouring States, the Thirty Years' War, and more recently the French occupation, under which it was assigned to the kingdom of Westphalia. During the Reformation the sympathies of the citizens were with the new teaching, and the city was a member of the League of Schmalkalden. In 1830 it was the scene of a violent revolution, which led to the removal of the reigning duke. It attained municipal self-government in 1834.

The fortifications, dismantled in

1797, have given place to a circle of gardens and promenades. Within them lies the old town, with somewhat narrow and crooked streets, remarkable for its numerous ancient houses, with high gables and quaintly carved exteriors, as at Lubeck. The cathedral, St. Blasius, is Roman esque . The chancel is decorated with 12th century frescoes by Johannes Gallicus, and contains the tombs of the founder, Henry the Lion, and his consort, and also that of the emperor Otto IV. In the vault beneath rest the remains of the Guelphs of the Brunswick line (since 1681). The Magnikirche was consecrated in 1031; the present edifice being built between the 13th and 15th centuries and restored in 1877. The Martini kirche was originally a Romanesque basilica (118o-9o), enlarged in the 13th century in Gothic, and remarkable further for the splendid late Gothic Annenkapelle (1434) and three magnificent portals. The Katharinenkirche, with a fine tower, was begun by Henry the Lion in 1172, and finished in 1500. Of the i3th, 14th and 15th centuries are the Andreaskirche and the Aegidienkirche.

The town hall of Brunswick is a gem of Gothic architecture (14th and 15th centuries) . In front stands a beautiful leaden fountain of the early 15th century. Near the cathedral are the cloth merchants' hall (Gewandhaus) of the i3th century, with a richly ornamented façade in Renaissance style, now occupied by the chamber of commerce and the restored Huneborstelsche Haus with its beautiful oak carving of the 16th century. The ducal palace is a fine modern structure, erected since 1865. The scien tific and art collections of Brunswick are numerous. The educa tional institutions include the Collegium Carolinum, founded in the technical high school, with 1,000 students in 1925, and an academy of forestry. The industries of the town are very varied. Especially important are the manufacture of metal work and small machinery, boilers, gasometers, preserves, sugar, choco late, chemicals, beer and sausages. Jute-spinning is also carried on and asparagus widely exported. Brunswick is a leading centre of the book trade.