Rhenish Prussia

Rhenish Prussia (Ger. Rheinprovinz, Rheinland, or Rheinpreussen), the most western and most thickly peopled of the provinces of Prussia, lies on both sides of the Rhine and the Lower Moselle, and is bounded on the W. by Luxemburg, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Long and narrow, it extends from Cleves in the north to Saargemünd in the south, has Cologne near the middle of its area, Aix-la-Chapelle (Aachen) and Treves near its western boundary, and Coblenz (the capital), Elberfeld-Barmen, and Essen near its eastern boundary, whilst Bonn lies south-east of Cologne, and Düsseldorf and Crefeld N. by W. of it. Area, 10,419 sq. m.; pop. (1885) 4,344,527; (1890) 4,710,313, of whom about 3,400,000 are Roman Catholics, and 10,000 Walloons. The surface is everywhere more or less mountainous, except in the extreme north, reaching 2500 feet on the west of the Rhine, but only 1800 on the east side. The soil of the higher tracts is not very fertile, and is largely forest land; but the valleys of the Rhine, Moselle, and Nahe are very fruitful, and so are the flat districts in the north. Of the total area, 64 per cent. is cultivated, including meadows and vineyards, and nearly 31 per cent. under forest. Grain, potatoes, beet-root, tobacco, hops, flax, &c. are the more important crops. Much wine and large quantities of vegetables are grown. More than sixteen million tons of coal are mined in the year, also large quantities of iron, zinc, and lead ore. The sulphur-springs of Aix-la-Chapelle and Burtscheid have a European reputation. Industry and manufactures are prosecuted with the greatest energy and success, this province ranking first in all Prussia in this respect. Iron, lead, zinc, and sulphuric acid (at Essen, Solingen, Remscheid, &c.); cloth and buckskin (Aix-la-Chapelle and Burtscheid); silk, velvet, and similar wares (Crefeld, Elberfeld-Barmen, Mülheim), cottons (Cologne, München-Gladbach, and Elberfeld-Barmen), linen (Gladbach and Neuss), leather (Malmedy), glass and pottery, paper, chemicals (Duisburg, Aix-la-Chapelle), soap, sugar, beer, spirits, and perfume (eau de Cologne) are all manufactured on a large scale. There is a university at Bonn. This province was formed in 1815 out of the duchies of Cleves, Jülich (Juliers), Guelders, and Berg, and numerous minor territories. It is defended by the four fortresses of Cologne, Coblenz (Ehrenbreitstein), Wesel, and Saarlouis.