December 31, 2001), located in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located at the furthest navigable point of the Oker
river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser.
Brunswick is said to have been founded about 861 by Bruno, son of Duke Ludolf of Saxony, from whom it was
named Brunswick (from the Old High German Wick, hamlet). Afterwards fortified and improved by Henry the Lion, it
became one of the most important cities of northern Germany. For a long time its constitution was rather peculiar,
as it consisted of five separate townlets, each with its own walls and gates, its own council and Rathausa condition
traces of which are still evident. In the 13th century it ranked among the first cities of the Hanseatic League. After
this era, however, it declined in prosperity, in consequence of the divisions of territory among the branches of the
reigning house, the jealousy of the neighboring states, the Thirty Years War, and more recently the French
occupation, uncjer which it was assigned to the kingdom of Westphalia. During the time of the Reformation the
sympathies of the citizens were with the new teaching, and the city was a member of the League of Schmalkalden.
In 1830 it was the scene of ,a Violent revolution, which led to the removal of the reigning duke. In 1834 it attained
municipal self-government.
06.08.1195) made Braunschweig the capital of his state and built Brunswick Cathedral. He got so powerful that he
dared to refuse military aid to emperor Frederick I Barbarossa, which led to his condemnation and fall.
Braunschweig was a member of the Hanseatic League from the 13th to the middle of the 17th century. In the 18th
century Brunswick was not only a political, but also a cultural centre. Emilia Galotti by Lessing and Goethe's Faust
were played for the first time in Braunschweig. It doesn't appear that Braunschweig was ever under the Kingdom of
Hanover, it does appear that they were closely aligned.
Braunschweig was a duchy until 1918, and afterwards a state within the Weimar Republic. It achieved an inglorious
fame by making Adolf Hitler a German citizen, which allowed him to candidate for the German Reichstag and become
leader of the state (Reichskanzler). Hitler was employed by the Brunswick State Government in February 1932 and
thereby got the German citizenship.
the Oker, 37 m. S.E. from Hanover and 53 N.W. from Magdeburg, on the main line of railway from Berlin. Pop.
(iooo) 128,226; (1905) 136,423, of which number about oooo were Roman Catholics and iooo Jews. Brunswick is
an interesting place and retains much of its medieval character. The fortifications which formerly environed it were
dismantled in 1797, and have given place to a regular circle of gardens and promenades, which rank among the
finest in Germany. Within them lies the old town, with somewhat narrow and crooked streets, remarkable for its
numerous ancient houses, with high gables and quaintly carved exteriors. In picturesqueness it vies with Lubeck
and Luneburg among North German towns. Among its churches, the cathedral, St Blasius, or Burgkirche, a
Romanesque structure begun by Henry the Lion about 1173 and finished in 1194, is of interest. The ch mccl is
decorated with 12th-century frescoes by Johannes Gallicus, and contains the tombs of the founder and his
consort, with beautiful effigies in relief, and also that of the emperor Otto IV. In the vault beneath rest the remains
of the Guelphs of the Brunswick line (since 1681). Remarkable among other churches are the Magnikirche
(consecrated in 1031; the present edifice being built between the I3th and I 5th centuries and restored in 1877);
the Martinikirche, with Romanesque towers, originally a Romanesque basilica (1180-1190), enlarged in the I3th
century in early Gothic by the addition of vaulted aisles and a choir (1490I 5oo), and remarkable further for the
splendid late Gothic Annenkapelle (i4~4) and three magnificent portals; the Katharinenkirche, with a fine tower,
begun by Henry the Lion in 1172, added to in 1252 and finished (choir) in 1500; the BrUderkirche (1361-1451,
restored 1869-1870), formerly the church of a Franciscan house, the refectory of which (1486) is now used for
military stores; the Andreaskirche (1200, 1360-1420), partly transitional, partly late Gothic, with a tower 318 ft.
high; and the Aegidienkirche (1278-1434), now used for exhibitions antI concerts.
In secular baildin.gs, both ancient and modern, Brunswick is also rich. The most noticeable of these is the town
hall (r4th and 15th centuries), a gem of Gothic architecture. In front of it is a beautiful Gothic leaden fountain of
the early 15th century. Close by the cathedral is the Dankwarderode, a two-storeyed Romanesque building,
erected in 1884 on the site of the ancient citadel of the same name which was destroyed by fire in 1873; the cloth
merchants hall (Gewandhaus) of the 13th century, with a richly ornamented faade in Renaissance style, now
occupied by the chamber of commerce; the restored Huneborstelsche Haus with its curious and beautiful oak
carving of the I6th century. The ducal palace is a fine modern structure, erected since 1865, when most of the
previous building, which dated only from 1831, was destroyed by fire. The famous Quadriga of Rietschel, which
perished at the same time, has been replaced by a copy by Georg Howaldt (1802-1883). The theatre lies on a
spacious square close to the ducal gardens, and immediately outside the promenades; to the south is the
handsome railway station. Among other numerous buildings of modern erection may be mentioned the new town
hail (1895-1900) and the ministry of finance, both in early Gothic style. The scientific and art collections of
Brunswick are numerous. The ducal museum contains a rich collection of antique and medieval curiosities,
engravings and pictures. There are also a municipal museum, a museum of natural history, a mineralogical
collection, a botanical garden and two libraries. The educational and charitable institutions of Brunswick are many.
Of the former may be mentioned the Collegium Carolinum, founded in 1745, the technical high school, two
gymnasia and an academy of forestry. Among the latter are a deaf and dumb institution, a blind asylum, an
orphanage and various hospitals and infirmaries. A monument, 60 ft. high, to Duke Frederick William, who was
slain at Quatre Bras, gives its name to the Monumentsplatz. Another to the south-east of the town perpetuates the
memory of Schill Ferdinand (1776-1809) and his companions. There are also statues of Franz Abt, the
composer~ of Lessing and of the astronomer K. F. Gauss.
The industries of the town are considerable. Especially important are the manufacture of machinery, boilers,
gasometers, pianos, preserves, chemicals, beer and sausages. Brunswick is also a leading centre of the book
trade. The communications between the inner town and the extensive suburbs are maintained by an excellent
service of electric tramways.