Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 21.djvu/436

Rh 414 SCHLESWIG Schleswig-Holstein. Between Friedrichsberg and Lollfuss is the old chateau of Gottorp, now despoiled of its art treasures and used as barracks. The former commercial importance of the town has disappeared, and the Schlei now affords access to small vessels only. Fishing and the manufacture of a few articles of common use are the chief occupations of the inhabitants. The population in 1885 was 15,187, all Protestants except about 250 Roman Catholics and 70 Jews. Schleswig (ancient forms Slicsthorp, Sliasicic, i.e., the town or bay of the Slia or Schlei) is a town of very remote origin, and seems to have been a trading place of considerable importance as early as the 9th century. It served as a medium of commercial intercourse between the North Sea and the Baltic, and was known to the old Arabian geographers. The first Christian church in this district was built here by Ansgarius about 850, and it became the scat of a bishop about a century later. The town also became the seat of the dukes of Schlcswig, but its commerce gradually dwindled owing to the rivalry of Liibeck, the numerous wars in which the district was involved, and the silting up of the Schlei. At the partition of 1544 the old chateau of Gottorp, originally built in 1160 for the bishop, became the residence of the ducal or Gottorp line of Schleswig-Holstein, which remained here till expelled by Frederick IV. in 1713. From 1731 to 1846 it was the seat of the Danish governors of the duchies. In the wars of 1848 and 1864 Schlcswig was an important strategical point on account of its proximity to the Danewerk, and was occupied by the different contending parties in turn. It has been the capital of Schleswig- Holstein since its incorporation by Prussia. To the south of Schleswig are the scanty remains of the Danewerk or Danneicirke, a line of entrenchments between the Schlei and the Trecne, believed to have been originally thrown up in the 9th century or even earlier, and afterwards repeatedly strengthened and enlarged. After the union of Schleswig and Holstein it lost its importance as a frontier defence, and was allowed to fall into disrepair. The Danewerk was stormed by the Prussians in 1848, but was afterwards so greatly extended and strengthened by the Danes that it would have been almost impregnable if defended by a sufficient number of troops. In the war of 1864, however, the Danish army was far too small for this task, and General de Meza abandoned the Danewerk without striking a blow, a step which caused deep disappointment to the Danes and led to the dismissal of the general. Since then the works have been entirely levelled. SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN, a maritime province in the north-west of Prussia, formed out of the once Danish duchies of Schleswig-Holstein and Lauenburg, is bounded on the W. by the German Ocean, on the N. by Jutland, on the E. by the Baltic, Liibeck, and Mecklenburg, and on the S. by Mecklenburg and the lower course of the Elbe (separating it from Hanover). It thus consists of the southern half of the Cimbric peninsula, and forms the connecting link between Germany and Denmark. In addition to the mainland, which decreases in breadth from south to north, the province includes several islands, the most important being Alsen and Fehmarn in the Baltic, and Rom, Sylt, and Fohr in the North Sea. The total area of the province is 7280 square miles, 450 of which belong to the small duchy of Lauenburg in the south-east corner, while the rest are divided almost equally between Holstein to the south of the Eider and Schleswig to the north of it. From north to south the province is about 140 miles long, while its breadth varies from 90 miles in Holstein to 35 miles at the narrower parts of Schleswig. Schleswig-Holstein belongs to the great North-German plain, of the characteristic features of which it affords a faithful reproduction in miniature, down to the continua- tion of the Baltic ridge or plateau (see GERMANY) by a range of low wooded hills skirting its eastern coast and culminating in the Bungsberg (570 feet), a little to the north of Eutin. This hilly district contains the most productive land in the province, the soil consisting of diluvial drift or bouldet clay. The central part of the province forms practically a continuation of the great Liineburg Heath, and its thin sandy soil is of little use in cultivation. Along the west coast extends the " Marsh- land," a belt of rich alluvial soil formed by the deposits of the German Ocean, and varying in breadth from five to fifteen miles. It is seldom more than a few feet above the sea-level, while at places it is actually below it, and it has consequently to be defended by an extensive system of dykes or embankments, 25 feet high, resembling those of Holland. The more ancient geological formations are scarcely met with in Schleswig-Holstein. The contrast between the two coast-lines of the province is very marked. The Baltic coast, about 300 miles in length, has generally steep well-defined banks and is very irregular in form, being pierced by numerous long and narrow fjords, which run deep into the interior of the land and often afford excellent harbours. The islands of Alsen and Fehmarn are separated from the coast by very narrow channels. The North Sea coast (200 miles), on the other hand, is very low and flat, and its smooth outline is interrupted only by the estuary of the Eider and the peninsula of Eiderstedt. Dunes or sand-hills, though rare on the protected main- land, occur on Sylt, and other islands, while the small unprotected islands called " Halligen " are being gradually washed away by the sea. The numerous islands on the west coast probably formed part of the peninsula at no very remote period, and the sea between them and the mainland is very shallow and full of sandbanks. The climate of Schleswig-Holstein is mainly determined by the proximity of the sea, and the mean annual tempera- ture, varying from 45 Fahr. in the north to 49 Fahr. in the south, is rather higher than is usual in the same latitude. Rain and fog are frequent, but the climate is on the whole very healthy. The lower course of the Elbe forms the southern boundary of Holstein for 65 miles, but the only river of importance within the pro- vince is the Eider, which rises in Holstein, and after a course of 120 miles falls into the North Sea, forming an estuary 3 to 12 miles in breadth. It is navigable from its mouth as far as Rendsburg, and the waterway between the two seas is completed by a canal from Rendsburg to Kiel. The new Baltic Canal, which is to be navigable for large vessels, will also intersect Holstein. There are numerous lakes in north-east Holstein, the largest of which are the Plbner See (12 square miles) and the Selenter See (9 square miles). Of the total area of the province 58 '3 per cent, is occupied by tilled land, 28 "5 per cent, by meadows and pastures, and only 6 '4 per cent, by forests. The ordinary cereals are all cultivated with success and there is generally a considerable surplus for exportation ; rape is grown in the marsh lands and flax on the east coast, while large quantities of apples and other fruit are raised near Altona for the Hamburg and English markets. In 1883 the province contained 156,534 horses, 727,505 cattle, 320,768 sheep, 268,061' pigs, and 42,580 goats. The marsh lands afford admirable pasture, and a reater proportion of cattle (65 per 100 inhabitants) is reared in chleswig-Holstein, mainly by small owners, than in any other Prussian province. Great numbers of fat cattle are exported to England. The Holstein horses are also in request, but sheep- farming is comparatively neglected. Bee-keeping is found a productive industry, and in 1883 the province possessed 113,836 hives. The hills skirting the bays of the Baltic coast are generally pleasantly wooded, but the forests are nowhere of great extent except in the duchy of Lauenburg. The fishing in the Baltic is productive ; Eckernforde is the chief fishing station in Prussia. The oysters from the beds on the west coast of Schleswig are widely known under the misnomerjof "Holstein natives." The mineral resources of the province are almost confined to a few layers of rock-salt near Segeberg. The manufacturing industry is also insignificant and does not extend much beyond the large towns, such as Altona, Kiel, and Flensburg. The shipbuilding of Kiel and other seaports is, however, important ; and lace is made by the peasants of North Schleswig. The commerce and shipping of Schleswig-Holstein, stimulated by its position between two seas, as well as by its excellent harbours and waterways, are much more grominent than its manufactures. Kiel is the chief seaport of russia, while an oversea trade is also carried on by Altona and Flensburg. The main exports are grain, cattle, horses, fish, and oysters, in return for which come timber, coal, salt, wine, and