Bois-le-Duc

Bois-le-Duc (Dutch, 's Hertogenbosch, 'Duke's Forest'), a city of the Netherlands, capital of North Brabant, is 28 miles SSE. of Utrecht by rail. It is a clean, well-built town, about 5 miles in circumference, intersected by canals, and was strongly fortified till 1876. Bois-le-Duc is the seat of a Catholic archbishop, and has a very fine cathedral (1312-1498), a town-hall, college, arsenal, an academy of arts, a grammar-school, several hospitals, &c. Iron-founding, book-printing, the making of beer, spirits, woollens, cigars, jewelry, linen-thread, ribbons, and cutlery, are the principal industries. Bois-le-Duc was founded in 1184 by Godfrey III., Duke of Brabant, in a wood, hence its name. His son Henry strengthened the town with walls. The town was ineffectually besieged in 1601 and 1603, but surrendered to the Dutch in 1629. In 1794 it was taken by the French; and in 1814 retaken by the Prussians. Pop. (1869) 24,395; (1891) 27,594.