OLMSTED, FREDERICK L.vw (1522— ). A great American landscape architect. After spe cial studies at Yale Lniversity (1S45-46), he sought practical knowledge of agriculture by working on a farm in central New York and subsequently on staten island, contributing on rural subjects to technical periodicals. In 1830 he made a tour afoot in England and on the Cmitinent for the study of landscape gardening anal agricultural methods. llis observations are found in Walks and Talks of en American Farmer in England (1.832). lie then went on a similar quest thningh the Southern and Southwestern States, studying also the effects of slavery on production, aml embodying his experience in .1 Journiy in the Neaboard Nlrnv Males, trith Remarks on Their Economy (1850 in .1 Jour ncy r011 y h aus; or, as N«ddle Trip on the South it stern Frontier, trilh a Statist/ea/ Ap pendix (1857): and in A Journey in the Back Country (1560). The three volunia.s wore re issued as Tin Cotton. Kingdom (2 vols., 1561 were much quoted in the controversies that arose out of the Civil War, and arc still valuable as authorities. In 1836 Olmsted was made super intendent of the New York Central Park Com mission, and a plan for this park, prepared by him and Calvert Vaux. was adopted in 1537. in 1561 lie was appointed member of a coin of inquiry anal advice on the sanitary condition of the United States troops. of this commission he became general secretary and was active in Washington from 1840 to 1864. visiting also the armies in the field. Later he was prominent on the Southern Familia. Relief Commission and in the organization of the .New York State Charities Aid Association. In 1571 he presented to the Territorial Government of the 1)istriet of Columbia the plans, since in large measure executed, for the 'parking system' of the streets of the capital. Ile helped also to found in New York the Sletropolitanhuseum of Art and the American Museum of Natural History. In 1572 lie was simile president of the Depart ment of Public Parks in New York, and devised the plan, in large measure carried nut. of the street system of New York north of the Harlem River. as well as for Riverside anal Alorningside parks in New York, Prospect and Washington parks in Brooklyn. Washington anal Jackson parks in Chieago, anal many others. Ho planned also the approach from Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol in Washington, was first eommission er of the Yosemite Park. and prominent in the Niagara Falls Reservation Committee. anal in devising the system of parks and parkways in anal around Roston. Important public works
were conducted by him also in Bridgeport. Tren ton, :Montreal, Buffalo, :Milwaukee, and Louis ville.
Al'innts. The second town of 'Mo ravia. Austria, situated on an islet of the river Sla rail. about 40 miles northeast of Brfinn Austria, F 2). It was formerly strongly forti fied. but its works have been converted since 1556 into promenades and parks. The chief square of the town is the Oberrime adorned with a column dating from 1742. and two fountains. Facin.• the Oberring is the town hall. with its astronomical clock. eonstrueted in 1422, and an interesting chapel now serving as an historical museum. The cathedral is a Cothic edifice of the fourteenth century, and the Church of Saint Slauritins, dating from the eleventh and twelfth centuries, is noted for its fine organ. .Among the other interesting build ings may be mentioned the old Jesuit monastery, now used as barracks, the cloth hall. the build ings of the former university, and the archiepis copal residence. Olintitz is well supplied with educational institutions. Besides the theological faculty (the remnant of the university founded in 1381 and abolished in 1833), there are two higher gymnasia, a higher three training schools for teachers, a commercial school, an historical and an industrial museum, a library of about 75,000 volumes, with a cull ,i(lerable number of incunabula and manu scripts. The town has been the seat of au archbishop since I777. The bishopric was founded in 1063, and the bishops lichl princely rank from 1558.
Oliiititz has a number of breweries, manufac tures of hardware, chemicals, and flour. The com merce in agricultural products is of some impor tance. Ohniitz is mentioned as a town with a castle in 563. In 1003 it became the sent of a bishopric (changed to an archbishopric in 1777), whose incumbents later attained prineely rank. Until 161(1 the town was the capital of Aloravia. In 1548 it was the scene of the abdication of Fer dinand 1. in favor of Francis Joseph. Ohnillz is noted for the cansference held there in 1850 be tween the representatives of Austria, Prussia, and Russia for the adjustment of the difficulties which had arisen between Austria and Prussia as a result of the convulsions of 1848-49, In this conference the policy of Austria triumphed com pletely, and all hopes of a liberal I formany under Prussian leadership disappeared for the time. Population, in 1590, 19,761; in 1900, 21,933. mostly Roman C'atholies, and over 30 per cent. Oernian. Consult Sliiller, Gasehichie der Ibtrytstrult (Olniiitz. 1895).