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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
