DESSAU, des'sow, Germany, capital of the duchy of Anhalt, in a valley on the Mulde, on the railroad between Berlin, Kothen, and Leip zig, 65 miles southwest of Berlin. Situated in a region well-wooded and well-cultivated it has wide tree-shaded streets, a 16th century palace, containing fine collections of Dutch, Flemish and Italian masters, relics of Napoleon and Prince Leopold, the modern palaces of the rul ing prince and of Princess Louise,. the parlia ment buildings, post office, municipal theatre and the old and new town halls. In the church of Saint Mary, erected in 1512, restored in 1857, is the tomb of Prince Leopold, noteworthy for the six stone figures which guard the sar cophagus. The city has a modern water-supply system and an electric-lighting plant, several schools and gymnasia, three libraries, one of which is the property of the municipality, two museums, with priceless art collections, and monuments to Moses Mendelssohn, the philoso pher, and Wilhelm Muller, the poet, both of whom were born here, as also the composer Friedrich Schneider. In the Thirty Years
War, on 25 April 1626, Wallenstein won a great victory over Count Mansfield on the Elbe bridge at Dessau. Modern commercialism has taken possession of the city during the last decades. It now has thriving industries, such as sugar refining, carpet-making, paper-mak ing, cloth weaving, machinery manufactures, railroad car works, carriage works and distiller ies. Being the centre of an intensively cultivated region it has a large trade in agricultural prod uce, especially grain. Albert the Bear founded Dessau in the 12th century and it became a city in 1213. In 1603 it was made the capital of the Anhalt-Dessau division of the duchy. It suf fered much during the campaigns of the Thirty Years' War, but recovered within the century following. Consult Wiirdig, 'Chronik der stadt Dessau' (Dessau 1876). Pop. 56,600.