LUBECK. One of the three city States of the German Empire (Map: Germany, D 2). It is composed of the free Hanseatic city of Lubeck, on the Trace, 40 miles by rail northeast of Ham burg; the territory lying between Prussia. the Baltic Sea, 'Mecklenburg. and Oldenburg; and nine enclaves in Holstein, .Mecklenburg-Strelitz.
Old enburg. and Lauenburg. Total area, 115 square miles. The population of the State in 1900 was 96,775, chiefly Protestant, of whom 82.098 were in the city of Lfibeek. The country is mainly a gently rolling plain. devoted to agriculture, and abundantly watered and provided with water transportation.
The city of Liibeck consists of the inner town, between the navigable Trace and the Wakenitz, and the three suburbs of Sankt Lorenz, Sankt Gertrud, and Sankt Jiirgen. The inner town, with its towers, gates, and gabled houses, is still medifeval in appearance. It is especially noted for many fine examples of mediirval brick structures. The Church of Saint Mary (1280 '3(14) is one of the finest specimens of this kind of architecture. It has three naves and two towers about 410 feet high. Its interior is pro fusely decorated with paintings by old German masters, statuary. and wood-carving. Among these object- are valuable paintings by Boman and Overbeek. a tine Gothic ciborium. and some excellent stained glass. Noteworthy is the Brief kapelle or Chapel of Letters. which owes its name to written or printed prayers formerly sold here, with pietures of the saints. The ea thedral. founded by Henry the Lion in 1173 and conipkted in the fourteenth century. is largely Gothic. although a part of the original Pim:m•-qty. basilica is retained. it is an attractive edifice with a beau tiful vestibule. Among the numerous objects of fine art which it eontains may be mentioned an altar-piece by Nleniling—a triptych with sev eral scores of figures. The Church of Saint Catharine is also worthy of mention. The most prominent of the secular is the Rat haus (1250-14421.a very interesting Gothic brick building with gables and spires. its northern facade is covered with portraits of German em perors, princes, and local dignitaries. The in terior, restored in 1887-91, has a magnificent staircase and a number of imposing chambers with mural paintings and the arms of the Hansa towns. Especially interesting is its 'war cham ber.' Other buildings attesting the ancient sig nificance of the town are the house of the Schif ferg,esellschaft and the Chamber of Commerce.
Liibeck has numerous educational institutions, including the old Katharineum, now a gymna sium. a realgyinnasium in the Minorite cloister, a private gymnasium, two realsehulen, a school of navigation, a seminary for teachers, and a municipal theatre. The municipal library, found ed in 1620, contains over 105.000 volumes (in chiding 890 incunabula ) and numerous MSS. and documents. The museum, built in 1889-92, pos sesses meritorious collections relating to the his tory of the town, as well as ethnographical, cede silt...deal, and art collections. The most noteworthy
of the benevolent institutions is the Hospital zum Ileiligen Geist, with an early Gothic chapel of the thirteenth century. ',Meek was never an important industrial city, and its manufacturing industries are still subordinate to its commerce. The chief manufactures are machinery, ironware, ships, chemicals, spirits, preserves. cigars, etc. The extensive commerce is mostly with Den mark, Sweden, and Russia. The harbor has been made accessible to heavy vessels by the canaliza tion of the Trave. The rivalry of Hamburg, which, since the completion of the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal, had threatened the commercial existence of Liibeck, has been somewhat lessened in effect by the Elbe-Trave Canal, which was opened in 1900 between Liibeck and Lauenburg. The chief articles of commerce are timber, grain, coal and coke, iron, wire, and groceries. The total trade in 1900 amounted to over $147,000,000, of which .$57.000.000 represented the value of the sea borne trade. The entrances and clearances at the port in 1899 were respectively 2862 vessels of 543.629 tons and 2872 vessels of 545,520 tons.
In its administration the city State of Lubeck does not differ much from Hamburg (q.v.). Its form of government, which was originally purely aristocratic, had gradually assumed a more rep resentative character until the present demo cratic Constitution was finally adopted in 1875. The Senate, at present representing in a way the patrician council which controlled the city during the existence of the Hanseatic League, is composed of 14 Senators. among whom are to he included at least S members of the learned pro fessions (6 lawyers) and 5 merchants. Vacan cies in the Senate are filled by members chosen by a commission consisting of an equal number of Senators and members of the House of Bur gesses. The Senate, presided over by a burgo master elected for two years by the Senators from among themselves, is vested with the executive power, and shares the legislative power with the House of Burgesses. Any citizen of thirty years or over, and in full enjoyment of civil rights. is eligible for Senatorship. The House of Burgesses consists of 120 members elected by universal suf frage for six years. One-third of its members are renewed every two years. The functions of the House of Burgesses are purely legislative, and it has the right of initiative in matters relating to public expenditure. foreign relations, and general legislation. The sanction of both Houses is necessary for every new legislative measure. Lubeck is represented by one member in the Bundesrat and one member in the Reichs tag. The judges of the lower courts are ap pointed by the Senate. The Ilansa Supreme Court of Hamburg is the highest judicial au thority of Liibeck.
The military affairs of the State are in the hands of Prussia. The budget, was $1,480,000 in 1900-01, and the public debt about $7.700,000. The city owns the electric plant and the water wo•ks. Electric railways connect the inner town with the suburbs.