Dortmund,

Dortmund, the most important town of Westphalia, lies in the fertile Hellweg plain, near the Emscher, 74 miles NNE. of Cologne by rail. In 1846 its inhabitants numbered only 8732, and it owes its subsequent increase to the development of the Westphalian coal-mines. It is the headquarters of the mining authorities of Westphalia, and an important railway centre; and it has numerous iron and steel works, and manufactures of mining material, nail-making and other machines, safes, thread, bricks, timber, and flour. In the town there are also more than 30 breweries, most of the beer being exported. The history of Dortmund goes back into the earliest middle-age traditions, figuring from the 8th century under the names of Therotmanni, Theromanni, Trutmanni, and Dorpmunde. Subsequently it became a free Hanse town, but was ceded to Prussia in 1815 at the Congress of Vienna. It still possesses several old churches, and an aged linden marks the site of the famous free court of the Vehmgericht (q.v.); but since the walls were removed in 1863, the general aspect of the town has become quite modern. Pop. (1890) 89,663—40,384 Catholics.