Baden
a grand-duchy of the German Empire. It is a country of irregular shape and width extending along the eastern bank of the Rhine from a point below Mannheim to Lake Constance. Its area is 5,823 square miles with a population (1905) of 2,010,728, or 345 to the square mile. The ruler and one-third of the people are Protestant, the rest are Catholics. The archbishop resides at Freiburg. The Gothic cathedral built of red sand-stone is considered one of the most beautiful examples of architectural art in Germany.
The chief commercial city, Mannheim, is situated at the head of regular navigation on the Rhine. Heidelberg, just above, is the seat of the university of that name, and is noted for the ivy-clad remains of Heidelberg Castle, the most impressive ruins of the sort in Europe. The buildings face the castle yard, and include the finest example of Renaissance architecture in Germany. They divide the visitor's attention with a cellar at one corner containing the famous Heidelberg Tun, a monster wine cask. It is the largest in the world, and is capable of holding 49,000 gallons. The university has been one of the most renowned in all Europe. Melanchthon, Helmholtz, and Bunsen were professors here. It still has a large library and an able faculty. Many American scholars have studied at Heidelberg.
Carlsruhe, meaning Charles' rest, is the capital of the grand-duchy. The head of the government is called a grand-duke, instead of a king. His castle stands in the center of the city. Streets radiate from it in fan fashion in all directions. There are a number of beautiful buildings, including a parliament house, a palace, and a town hall. There are several valuable museums, including an unrivaled collection of birds and a gallery of paintings.
The warm springs of Baden-Baden have been noted since the time of the Romans. There are thirteen springs having a temperature of from 130-degeree to 150-degree-F. Baden is, of course, the German word for baths. The compound Baden-Baden is used like our New York, N. Y., to distinguish it from the Baden near Vienna and that in Switzerland. It is a town of 15,000 people. There are several hotels, pleasure gardens, and other fashionable attractions. It is a noted watering place. The season lasts from May until October, but is at its height in August, when there are about 40,000 visitors. The gaming tables once maintained here have been driven away to Monte Carlo.
The surface of Baden is for the most part hilly. There are mines of coal, salt, iron, zinc, and nickel, and many mineral springs. About half the country is under cultivation; the rest is devoted to forests, meadows, and pastures. The people live in villages. The farms are small. They are devoted to the production of wheat, oats, barley, rye, hemp, tobacco, and sugar beets. The valleys of the Rhine and Neckar are noted for the production of wine.
A large part of the famous Black Forest lies in Baden. Wooden toys, musical boxes, carved deer, inlaid tables, and the famous cuckoo clocks are made here. Canary birds are reared by the people of the Black Forest for export to all parts of the world. It is a region of shady, macadamized roads, picturesque villages, cool drinking fountains, and quaint, hospitable inns,--an ideal country through which to travel on a bicycle. Its railroads are owned and operated chiefly by the state.