Cost of living in German towns

Bibliographic data

Monograph

Identifikator:: 866449027

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-93831

Document type:: Monograph

Title:: Cost of living in German towns

Place of publication:: London

Publisher:: Stat. Off.

Year of publication:: 1908

Scope:: 1 Online-Ressource (LXI, 548 Seiten)

Collection:: Economics Books

Usage license:: Get license information via the feedback formular.

138 CHEMNITZ. The “ Saxon Manchester ” and “ the most important industrial city in Germany ” are expressions frequently applied to Chemnitz. Opinion would probably be divided as to how far the latter is justified, but the former is generally accepted as appropriate, and still occurs in German and English gazetteers. Apart, however, from the difference in population of the two towns (Manchester having 544,000 and Chemnitz only 245,000 inhabitants), the appellation “ Saxon Manchester,” if it ever was, is now no longer applicable to Chemnitz, for Manchester is now primarily a trading centre with few factories, while Chemnitz is a factory town of the most pronounced type. Chemnitz has not kept its factories well on its outer borders, as is the case in many German towns, and it is only since a comparatively recent date that the municipality has decided that certain areas shall be kept free from such buildings. There are few parts of the town, therefore, which do not afford a view of one or more factory chimneys, while from any point outside the town they are to be seen in countless numbers. The atmosphere is, however, not smoke-laden, probably because there is little opportunity for smoke to settle over a town situated one thousand feet above the sea level, and exposed to strong winds. Most of the buildings of the town are somewhat sombre, owing to the brick being exposed, instead of being covered with the ornamental stucco work so common in other German towns. Generally speaking, the streets are wide, clean, and paved with granite setts, only a very few of the narrower streets in the very centre of the old town being asphalted. For public lighting purposes gas is still used, although the municipality owns a large electrical power generating and distributing station. The town is practically devoid of slums, and at the same time well provided with public parks and recreation grounds. Two of the best of these, the “ Schlossteich ” and the “ Kiichwald,” the former with an extensive lake, lie close to the chief north-western working- class suburb of Schlosschemnitz. Another, called the “ Zeisigwald,” is equally conveniently situated for the working-class district of Sonnenberg on the north-east. The growth of Chemnitz since 1871 has been rapid. The population at the date of the census and the intercensal increases have been as follows :— Year of Census. 1871 1875 1880 1885 1890 1895 1900 1905 Population. 68,229 78,209 95,135 110,817 138,954 161,017 206,913 244,927 Intercensal Increase. Intercensal Increase per cent. 9,980 16,926 15,682 28,137 22,063 45,896 38,014 14 6 216 16 5 25 4 15-9 285 18*4 The following Table shows the mean annual birth-rates, death-rates and rates of infantile mortality during the period 1901-5 :— Year. Birth-rate per 1,000 of Population. 1901 1902 ]903 1904 1905 38-7 36 8 35 0 35 7 340 Death-rate per 1,000 of Population. 24 2 2T5 212 22 0 202 Infantile Mortality per 1,000 Births. 344 284 291 307 286 During the period both birth and death rates have declined considerably, the latter much more rapidly than the former. The fall in the death-rate is to a great extent to be attributed to the decline in the infant mortality rate. During 1901-05 the annual number of infants dying before reaching one year of age for

Access restriction

Copyright

fullscreen: Cost of living in German towns

Monograph

Table of contents

Download

Monograph

This page

Image fragment

Citation links

Citation recommendation