The salt industry was developed at the beginning of the 19th century. The iron industry is of great antiquity, but it is hampered by the absence of coal. Other products are granite, limestone, ironstone and fireclay.
Linen, woollen and cotton fabrics are made at Esslingen and Goppingen, and paper at Ravensburg, Heil bronn and other places in Lower Swabia. The manufacturing in dustries assisted by the government developed rapidly during the later years of the 19th century, notably metal-working, especially such branches of it as require exact and delicate workmanship. Of particular importance are iron and steel goods, locomotives (Ess lingen), machinery, motor-cars, bicycles, small arms (in the Mauser factory at Oberndorf), all kinds of scientific and artistic appliances, pianos (at Stuttgart), organs and other musical instruments, photographic apparatus, clocks (in the Black Forest), electrical apparatus, and gold and silver goods. There are also extensive chemical works, potteries. cabinet-making workshops, sugar fac tories, breweries and distilleries. Water-power and petrol largely compensate for the lack of coal.
The principal exports are cattle, cereals, wood, pianos, salt, oil, leather, cotton and linen fabrics, beer, wine and spirits. The chief commercial cities are Stuttgart, Ulm, Heil bronn and Friedrichshafen. The book trade of Stuttgart, called the Leipzig of South Germany, is very extensive.
In 1924 Wurttemberg had 1,292 m. of full gauge railways. The Neckar, the Schussen and the lake of Constance are all navigable for boats ; the Danube begins to be navigable at Ulm. The roads of WUrttemberg are fairly good; the oldest of them are Roman.
The Constitution of the Republic of Wurttem berg bore date Sept. 25, 1919. The supreme power in the State was vested in the Landtag, composed of 8o members elected by universal suffrage for 4 years, in accordance with the electoral law of April, 1924. The Landtag appointed the State Ministry, the President of which was styled "State President." For administrative purposes the country is divided into the City of Stuttgart, 62 districts (Oberamter), and 1,887 communes (Gemeinden).
At the census of 1925 the various creeds numbered as follows :—Protestants, 1.72 million ; Roman Catholics, 796,196; Jews, 10,752 ; and others 50,216. At the head of the Evangelical
(Protestant) Church stands a President, who with a Church Coun cil is responsible for its administration. The Roman Catholic Church is subject to the bishop of Rottenburg, in the archdiocese of Freiburg.
The higher branches of learning are provided in the university of Tubingen, in the technical high school (with academic rank) of Stuttgart, the veterinary high school at Stutt gart, the commercial college at Stuttgart, and the agricultural college of Hohenheim. There are gymnasia and other schools in all the larger towns, while every commune has a school. There are numerous schools and colleges for women. There is also a school of viticulture at Weinsberg.
The origin of the name Wurttemberg is uncertain. Early forms of it are Wirtenberg, Wirtembenc, Wirtenberc, Wir temberg and Wurtemberg. In 1806 WUrttemberg was adopted as the official spelling.
As far as we know, the first inhabitants of the country were the Celts, and then the Suebi. In the ist century A.D. the Romans included it in the area defended by the limes Germanicus (q.v.).
Early in the 3rd century the Alamanni drove the Romans beyond the Rhine and the Danube, but in their turn they were conquered by the Franks under Clovis, the decisive battle being fought in 496. In the 9th century it was incorporated with the German duchy of Swabia.
The duchy of Swabia was ruled by the Hohenstaufen family until the death of Conradin in 1268, when a considerable part of it fell to the count of WUrttemberg, the representative of a family first mentioned about 1080, a certain Conrad von Beutelsbach, having called himself after his ancestral castle of Wiirttemberg. The earliest count about whom anything is known is Ulrich, who ruled from 1241 to 1265. Under his sons, Ulrich II. and Eberhard I., and their successors the power of the family grew steadily. Eberhard (d. 1325) doubled the area of his county and transferred his residence from Wiirttemberg to Stuttgart. His successors all added something to the area of Wiirttemberg. The lands of the family were several times divided, but in 1482 they were declared indivisible and were united under Count Eberhard V. In
the county was raised to the rank of duchy.