Soest
a town of the province of Westfalen, Prussia; 34 miles S. E. of Munster; was once a Hanse town, and one of the most important places in Germany, with a population of between 30,- 000 and 40,000, but has declined since the Thirty Years' War. Its city law was the model for that of many other cities, such as Hamburg, Lübeck, etc. The remains of its walls with their 36 towers are still to be seen. It has a great number of old churches, of which seven are now in use, the cathedral being Catholic and the remaining six Protestant. Soest is the center of a rich agricultural district, and has chemical works and extensive breweries. Pop. about 20,000.