Breslau, Silesia, Prussia, Germany (Schlesien, Preußen)
1916

Breslau, a city of Prussia, capital of the province of Silesia, on the Oder, at the junction of numerous railways, 190 miles SE. of Berlin. Lat. of the observatory, 51° 6' 56" N. ; Lon. 17° 2' 13" E. It consists of the inner city, divided by the Oder into the former old town and new town, and of 5 encircling suburbs. A branch of the Oder, the so-called Old Oder, extends in a broad curve around the northern half of the city. The Oder forms several islands and is crossed by numerous substantial bridges. The old ramparts of Breslau have long ago been converted into beautiful promenades. Hardly another city in Europe contains so many public squares and open places as Breslau. The principal square, near the centre of the city, is known as the Ring. On it are the old town-hall (Rathaus) and the new municipal building called the Stadthaus. Many of the public squares are embellished with fine works of sculpture. Among the many interesting ecclesiastical structures are the Catholic cathedral, a grand mediaeval edifice, extended in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, with splendid paintings and sculptures; the principal Protestant church, that of St. Elizabeth, a mediaeval structure restored half a century ago, which has a bell weighing 12 tons and a celebrated organ; the Protestant church of St. Mary Magdalen, with two Gothic towers connected by a lofty bridge; and the new Jewish synagogue, the handsomest in Germany after that of Berlin. Conspicuous among the other buildings are the new City Savings Bank, containing the municipal library of about 150,000 volumes, the university buildings, the new government buildings, the post-office, the old and the new ex change, the imperial bank, the Museum of Fine Arts, the building known as the Belvedere, on the old fortifications, the episcopal palace, the railway stations, and many fine structures devoted to government offices, the courts, and military purposes.

At the head of the educational institutions of Breslau is the Catholic university, known as the Leopoldina. It has a library of over 300,000 volumes and faculties of theology, jurisprudence, medicine, and philosophy. Breslau is the great emporium for the linens of Silesia, and tho greatest mart for wool in Germany. It has extensive railway and other machine-shops, iron-foundries, spinning-mills, and manufactures of furniture, carpenters' materials, shoes, clothiers' trimmings, spirits, confectionery, chemicals, etc. It is, after Berlin, the largest city of Prussia. Breslau was ruled in the Middle Ages successively by the kings of Poland, the dukes of Breslau, and the kings of Bohemia. It was wrested from Austria by Frederiok the Great in 1741. Pop. in 1811, 63,237; in 1875, 239,050; in 1890, 335,186; in 1900, 422,738, — and with the closely adjoining suburbs, 459,306. Elevation, 390 feet above sea-level.

Lippincotts New Gazetteer: A Complete Pronouncing Gazetteer Or Geographical Dictionary of the World, Containing the Most Recent and Authentic Information Respecting the Countries, Cities, Towns, Resorts, Islands, Rivers, Mountains, Seas, Lakes, Etc., in Every Portion of the Globe, Part 1 Angelo Heilprin Louis Heilprin - January 1, 1916 J.B. Lippincott - Publisher

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