Posen

Posen (Polish Poznan), a province of Prussia, bounded N. by West Prussia, E. by Poland, S. by Silesia, and W. by Brandenburg. Area, 11,178 sq. m. The Warthe traverses it from east to west, and is navigable throughout the greater part of its course, as is also the smaller Netze. The Vistula touches Posen on the north-east. The province belongs to the great plain of north Germany; there are several lakes in the east. Like Pomerania, it is essentially an agricultural province, nearly 62 per cent. of the area being arable land, 13 per cent. meadows, and 20 under wood. More than 55 per cent. of the total is in the hands of large landed proprietors (see also MECKLENBURG). Grain, potatoes, and hops are the principal products. The industry is not much developed, being limited chiefly to machinery, cloth, bricks, sugar, and beer. Pop. (1891) 1,751,642, of whom over 880,000 are Poles, mostly in the rural districts, 725,000 Germans, principally in the towns, and 51,000 Jews. There is a Roman Catholic archbishop of Gnesen and Posen. The chief towns are Posen (the capital), Gnesen, Bromberg, Lissa, and Rawitsch. Posen formed an integral part of Poland till 1772, when, at the first partition, the districts north of the Netze were given to Prussia; to these were added in 1793 Great Poland, except Masovia, the whole being incorporated under the name of South Prussia. In 1807 Posen was included in the duchy of Warsaw; but by the Congress of Vienna it was re-assigned to Prussia under the title of the Grand-duchy of Posen. In 1848 the Poles gave the Prussian government considerable trouble. See History by Chr. Meyer (1881).