Magdeburg

Magdeburg, the capital of the Prussian province of Saxony, and one of the strongest fortresses of Germany, is on the left bank of the Elbe, consisting of the town proper and the four suburbs Friedrichsstadt, Neustadt, Sudenburg, and Buckau. Between the old and new Elbe, and separating the main town from Friedrichsstadt, is the island of Werder, which contains the citadel, and is connected with each bank by a bridge. There is one good street, and a fine promenade along the Elbe. A park occupies the site of a convent suppressed in 1810. The 13th- and 14th-century cathedral is the burial-place of Otho the Great, and contains a fine monument to Archbishop Ernest (1497), and there is a church of the 12th and 13th centuries. Among the chief buildings are the town-hall, with a statue of Otho in front, the theatre, governor's house, railway station, and exchange, and there are some fine houses in the old market. There is much trade in agricultural produce, manufactured goods and wines; and among the chief industries are iron-works, distilleries, cotton-mills, and the manufacture of woollens, sugar, silk, spirits, tobacco, chocolate, chicory, organs, and pianos. It is the headquarters of an army corps, the seat of the provincial court of appeal, and has many good educational establishments. In 1631 the town was sacked and almost entirely burnt, with the exception of the churches, and was finally restored to Prussia in 1814.