126 
BRUNSWICK. 
Brunswick, the capital of the duchy of the same name, is a large and 
flourishing town situated about 55 miles to the west of Magdeburg and 37 miles 
to the east of Hanover on the main line connecting all three towns with Berlin. 
It is a place of considerable industrial importance, and is a principal centre of 
the beet sugar and canned goods industries, Brunswick being situated in an 
extensive and fertile plain, the soil of which is peculiarly favourable to the 
growth of beetroot, asparagus, &c. The presence of potash mines within the 
borders of the State adds to the prosperity of the beet-sugar industry, inasmuch 
as the potash salts, the chemical products from these mines, when used as a 
manure, increase very materially the amount of saccharine matter in beetroot. 
The industries of Brunswick also include machinery works, beer brewing, and 
jute spinning. For many centuries the town has enjoyed a high commercial 
reputation, and as early as the middle of the 13th century it ranked third 
amongst the famous Hanseatic towns. 
Brunswick consists of two clearly defined parts, viz., the old and the new 
town, or as they are known locally, the inner and the outer town. As these 
terms suggest, Brunswick was formerly fortified, and it was further protected 
by the river Oker which partly encircled the walls, and also by a broad moat 
commencing from the river at the southern end of the town and rejoining it at 
the northern end. To-day spacious gardens and promenades occupy the lines 
of the old fortifications ; and, in addition, there are several large open spaces 
on the outskirts of the new town, and also two parks. Through what 
were once gateways in the city walls there run to-day fine straight and broad 
roads into the surrounding country, and the whole aspect of the new town is a 
tribute to the municipal policy which has not permitted the builder to follow 
his own caprice but has compelled him to conform to a well-devised plan of 
town extension. The old town contains many narrow and winding streets, and 
here are found fine specimens of the art of the 16th and 17th century builders 
—houses with overhanging storeys and massive carved beams. Nevertheless, 
Old Brunswick is amply provided with broad well-kept streets and fine open 
squares. An excellent system of electric trams connects the outlying portions 
of the town with the centre. Workmen’s tickets are only issued on the section 
which runs out to Wolfenbüttel, a distance of about seven miles, and the price 
of a weekly ticket covering twelve journeys is Is. 5d. The large factories are 
situated either on the confines of the inner town or outside in the open country. 
The municipality does not as yet undertake all the services which are 
usually found in public hands in German towns. The tramways and electric 
works belong to private companies, wdiilst the municipal undertakings comprise 
the gas and water services and the public abattoir. In 1883 the Elberfeld 
system of poor relief was adopted by the authorities, and remains still in force. 
Brunswick is a towm of rapid growth. In 1814 its population was 29,934. 
By 1861 it had increased to 42,209. Subsequent census returns are given in 
the following Table :— 
Year. 
Population. 
Intercensal Increase. 
Increase per Cent. 
1871 
1875 
1880 
1885 
1890 
1895 
1900 
1905 
57,883 
65,938 
75,038 
85,174 
101,047 
115,138 
128,226 
136,162 
8,055 
9,100 
10,136 
15,873 
14,091 
13,088 
7,936 
13-9 
13 8 
13 5 
18 6 
13-9 
11-4 
G'2