HOHENZOLLERN, ho'en-tsol-lern, Ger many, province of Prussia, formed in 1849 by the union of the two principalities of Hohcn zollern-Hechingen and Hohenzollern-Sigmarin gen. It consists of a narrow irregular strip of country encircled by Wiirtemberg and Baden. Area 441 square miles; pop. (1911) 71,011. The province is traversed by the Danube and the Neckar. Iron, coal, gypsum, peat and rock salt are found in the mountains, and the valleys yield fruit, grain and hops. There are several mineral springs. Cotton spinning, iron found ing, agriculture and cattle raising are the prin cipal industries. Sigmaringen is the seat of the Landtag since 1873. The province is represented in the Reichstag by one deputy. The inhabitants are nearly all Roman Catholics, under the jurisdiction of the archdiocese of Freiburg. The princely family of Hohenzollern dates from Thassilo, Count of Zollern, who died about 800 AA, after having founded a castle near Hech ingen, on the Zollern hill in the Swabian Alps.
The fine Hohenzollern castle of 14th century architecture, built in the latter half of the 19th century, occupies the site of the ancient family seat. There have been several lines and branches of the Hohenzollerns, the first separa tion taking place about 1165, when Frederick IV founded the elder or Swabian and Conrad III the younger or Franconian line. The elder line was subdivided, in 1576, into the branches of Hechingen and Sigmaringen. Frederick VI, the representative of the younger line, in 1415 re ceived from the Emperor Sigismund the in vestiture of the electorate of Brandenburg, thus founding the reigning dynasty of Prussia. The two branches of the elder line continued un broken till 1849, when the reigning princes ceded their respective rights and principalities to the king of Prussia, who in 1871 became German Emperor. The main branch of the Hohenzol lerns is represented by the former imperial family of Germany. See GERMANY.