BRESLAU, breslou (Pol. Wroclaivia, also Wracislawia, Braclaw, Med. Lat. Wratislaria, from King Wracisla• or Wratislaw). The capital of the Province of Silesia, Prussia, and third royal residence, situated at the conflu ence of the Ohlau and Oder, about 200 miles southeast of Berlin, in latitude 51° 7' N. and longitude 17° 2' E. (Nap: Prussia, G 3). The Oder divides it into two parts, which are con nected by numerous handsome bridges. It con sists of the inner or main town and five suburbs —called the Ohlau, Sand, Oder, Nikolai, and Sehweidnitz suburbs. The ancient fortifications have been converted into beautiful promenades, and the moat has been transformed into an orna mental sheet of water. The streets of the new portion of Breslau are spacious and regular, and the houses stately and handsome, affording a pleasant contrast to the sombre, massive structures of the old town. The city has many churches, the most remarkable being the Protes tant church dedicated to Saint Elizabeth, with a steeple 300 feet in height (the highest in Prussia) and a splendid organ, and the Roman Catholic Cathedral, founded in the Twelfth Cen tury, containing many works of art in sculpture and painting. Among the other noteworthy buildings is the lately restored Radians, dating from the Fourteenth Century. Breslau is the largest and most important city of Prussia, after Berlin. Its proximity to the Russian frontier makes it a highly important trading centre in raw products. It holds three annual fairs, besides a number of special markets, e.g. in leather, horses, and cattle. Its posi tion in the centre of the manufacturing districts of the province, and its railway connections with all the important cities, in addition to the facilities of communication which the Oder affords, increase still further its commer cial importance. It has manufactures of linen, woolens, cotton, silks, lace, jewelry, machines, earthenware, soap, alum, starch, etc., and up ward of one hundred distilleries, and a trade in corn, coal, metals, timber, hemp, and flax. The
city is administered by a municipal council of 102 members, who elect an executive board of 27 for the practical administration of the munic ipal affairs. (See PaussiA, Local Govern ment.) The municipality owns and operates two gas and two ele•tric-lighting plants, supplying all public and private buildings. The •ater works are also in the hands of the municipality. For local passenger traffic, the city has six rail way lines, operated by electricity since 1901, as well as omnibuses and small river steamers. These are in the hands of private companies. t alike the majority of German cities, Breslau still imposes the burden of street-cleaning upon the property-owners. It has an excellent system of sewerage and sewage farms, on the general plan of those of Berlin. which have proved so suecessful. Educational institutions are numer ous, and include a university with a library con taining over 300,000 volumes, six high schools (three belonging to the city), a good system of public elementary schools, a municipal library of 150,000 volumes, and two museums. The city is richly provided with hospitals and charitable institutions. In addition to the university there are two hospitals and an asylum tinder munieipal control, as well as four orphan asy lums.
Breslau is a city of Polish origin. It passed front the suzerainty of Poland in 1335 to Bo hemia. and in 1527 to Austria, from which it was taken by Frederick II. of Prussia iu 1741. Sixteen years afterwards it was captured by the Austrians, after a bloody battle. but was retaken by Frederick in about a month. In 1807 it sur rendered to the French. Soon after its fortifiea ti.ms were demolished. Population, in 1890, 333,000: in 1900, 423,000.
Consult: Korn, B,•cslauer Urbilndenhueh (Breslau. 1870 ) Stade, Breslau (lia,mhurg, lti93) ; Wutke, Die breslauer Nesse (Hamburg, 1895 ) .