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KÖNIGSBERG.

The  town  and  fortress  of  Königsberg  lies  on  the  river  Pregel  at  the
extreme  north-east  of  the  kingdom  of  Prussia,  at  a  distance  of  366  miles  northeastward ­
  from  Berlin.  It  is  almost  circular  in  shape,  being  confined  within
a  ring  of  moated  defences,  which  are  continuous,  except  for  about  a  mile  on
the  south-east,  where  the  swampy  nature  of  the  soil  appears  to  have  been  considered ­
  a  sufficient  defence  in  itself.  This  disc-shaped  agglomeration,  which
ranks  as  a  “  first-class  fortress,”  is  traversed  from  east  to  west,  and  divided  into
a  northern  and  a  southern  half  by  the  Pregel,  about  five  miles  east  of  where
that  river  flows  into  the  Frische  Haff.  At  a  point  about  1,000  yards  east  of
where  it  enters  the  town,  the  river  forms  a  loop,  enclosing  an  island  about  500
yards  long,  and  200  yards  wide,  which  is  the  centre,  and,  at  the  same  time,  one
of  the  oldest  and  most  densely  built  parts  of  the  town.  At  the  eastern  end  of
this  island  the  river  again  divides,  one  branch,  which  maintains  an  easterly
direction,  being  called  the  New  Pregel,  and  the  other,  which  flows  first  south
and  then  south-east,  the  Old  Pregel.  Five  bridges  (the  widest  having  a  span
of  some  60  yards)  connect  the  island  with  the  surrounding  town,  and  the
raising  of  these  bridges  for  the  convenience  of  passing  ships  is  a  frequent  cause
of  congestion  in  the  street  traffic.

The  general  impression  which  Königsberg  is  apt  to  leave  on  its  visitors  is
one  of  noisy  streets,  many  of  them  too  narrow  for  the  traffic  which  they  have
to  accommodate  ;  of  bridges  frequently  uncrossable  because  raised  for  passing
ships  ;  of  narrow  quays  lined  with  quaint,  high-gabled,  half-timber-work  warehouses, ­
  and  used  at  certain  points  as  market  places  for  the  sale  of  fruit,  fish,
cheese,  vegetables,  meat,  and  other  eatables  ;  and  of  sailing  craft  moored  bowonwards
  to  the  quays,  competing  with  the  stalls  on  shore  in  the  sale  of  produce. ­
  Among  other  features  likely  to  impress  the  visitor  as  distinctive  of
this  locality  are  the  comparative  scarcity  of  open  spaces  for  recreation  and  the
marked  prominence  of  the  military  element  among  the  population.
The  noisiness  of  the  streets  is  due  to  the  nature  of  the  paving  (stone  setts
and  rough,  unevenly  laid  cobbles),  in  conjunction  with  traffic  largely  made  up  of
drays  laden  with  coal,  ironwares,  timber,  cereals,  flax,  and  other  bulky  merchandise, ­
  the  distribution  of  which  constitutes  the  chief  business  of  the  port.  The
frequent  necessity  for  crossing  bridges  is  unavoidable,  owing  to  the  peculiar
formation  of  the  town.

The  use  of  the  narrow  quays  as  market  places  for  the  sale  of  produce  is
doubtless  due  to  the  scarcity  of  space  arising  from  the  fact  that  the  town
has  been  prevented  from  expanding  with  the  growth  of  its  population,
owing  to  the  enclosing  ring  of  ramparts  and  moats,  and  the  restrictions  on
building  enforced  by  the  military  authorities  on  all  land  lying  within  a
certain  distance  of  the  defences.  Thus,  within  the  first  zone  of  1,000  metres
(about  1,093  yards)  from  the  ramparts,  no  houses  whatever  may  be  built  ;
within  a  second  and  outer  zone  of  prescribed  width,  only  half-timberwork
structures  (capable  of  being  rapidly  demolished  if  necessary)  are  allowed.
These  restrictions  are  still  in  full  force,  and  will  remain  so  until  an  agreement
can  be  reached  between  the  town  and  the  Government  as  to  the  price  to  be  paid
by  the  former  for  the  land  occupied  by  these  extensive  military  works,  which
are  now  admittedly  obsolete.  There  are,  indeed,  few  German  towns  whose
expansion  has  so  long  been  hampered  by  fortifications.  The  mean  population  in
1890  amounted  to  161,000,  and,  10  years  later,  a  further  27,000  people  had  to
find  accommodation  within  the  same  area,  thus  increasing  the  density  of  the
population  from  114  to  135  persons  per  acre.  In  one  of  the  chief  working-class
quarters-^-Haberberg—close  against  the  southern  fortifications,  the  population
increased  during  the  same  period  from  158  to  218  per  acre  ;  and,  in  the  year
1895,  there  were  only  68  unoccupied  dwellings  in  the  whole  town.  Under  the
circumstances  it  would  be  surprising  if  public  parks  and  open  spaces  were  a
prominent  feature  in  Königsberg.  Unlike  so  many  other  of  the  larger  German