the capital of Thuringia, now a Prussian fortress. The CATHEDRAL was built at various times, between the 12th and 15th centuries. It contains a bronze relief of the crowning of the Virgin; a painting of the Holy Family by Cranach; some other old paintings; a carved pulpit designed by Schinkel; a bell called the great Susan, &c. The Martinstift, now an orphan asylum, was formerly the Augustine convent. The cell occupied by Luther shown. His Bible and other relics are preserved here. The Hotel de Ville is of the 13th century; in the Place is the statue of Roland. A congress of sovereigns was convened here by Napoleon in 1807. GOTHA (191 miles) (Hotel: Deutscher Hof), the chief town of the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. The Schloss Friedenstein, a conspicuous building on a height, contains some good pictures by Cranach, Holbein, Van Dyck, and others; a cabinet of engravings; a collection of gems and curiosities; a collection of coins and medals; a Library; a Museum of Natural History; a Japanese and Chinese Museum. Admission gratis. EISENACH (210 miles) (Hotel : Grossherzog von Sachsen), the chief town of the Thuringerwald, is pleasantly situated, and is surrounded by wooded hills. It contains nothing to attract the attention of tourists. On an eminence near the town, stands the CASTLE OF WARTBURG, celebrated as the scene of Luther's imprisonment, from May 1521, to March 1522. (One horse carriage to the Wartburg and return, 6 m. Donkey for same trip, 3 m. 50 pf.) His capture and confinement were due to the friendship of the Elector of Saxony, who knew that his life was in danger, after his appear ance before the Diet of Worms. During his imprisonment he wrote several works, and translated a considerable portion of the Bible. The chamber in which he lived is shown; it contains the table which he used, also portraits of his parents, by L. Cranach. It was here, as he writes, that he was subjected to attacks from the Evil One, whom he repulsed by throwing his inkstand at him. BEBRA JUNCTION (224 miles) (for Gottingen, Hanover). FULDA (281 miles) (Hotel: Kurfurst), a fortified town, situated on a river of the same name, in a rich valley. The Cathedral is modern. GELNHAUSEN (323 miles) (Hotel: Hessicher Hof). It is situated on the Zinzig. The Emperor Frederick Barbarossa made it his residence, and built a palace here in 1144. The ruins are seen on an island, opposite the lower portion of the town. The Cathedral, built in the early part of the thirteenth century, is in the transition style from round to pointed architecture. It has a twisted spire, a cupola, round and pointed arches. HANAU (329 miles) (Hotels: Karlsburg, Adler), situated near the confluence of the Zinzig and the Main. The largest manufactories of jewellery in Germany are here. the neighbourhood, on the left of the route to Frankfort, is Phillipsruhe, the country residence of the late Elector of Hesse - Cassel. Near Hanau, Napoleon, after the battle of Leipsic, fought a battle with the Bavarians and Austrians, in which the Allies were defeated. In FRANKFORT-ON-THE MAIN. FRANKFORT -ON-THE-MAIN (339 miles) (Hotels: see 66 HOTEL LIST.") Cabs-From the railway stations to any part of the town, one or two persons, 90 pf.; three or four persons, 1 m. 20 pf. Course within the town, 50 to 70 pf.; per hour, 1 m. 70 pf., to 2 m. 10 pf. Tramways to the Palm Garden and Theatre; Victoria Theatre. Palm Garden, admission 1 m. Restaurant concerts in the afternoon and evening. Monthly tickets at a reduced rates. Zoological Garden, admission 1 m. Concerts afternoon and evening. Aquarium, 50 pf. extra. Monthly tickets at reduced rates. The most ancient and important of the free cities of Germany, is situated on the right bank of the Main. It was a free town and the seat of the Germanic Diet up to 1866, when it was annexed to Prussia. It is a compactly built town, and possesses some wide handsome streets. The new town is well built, its principal street, the Zeil, being one of the finest in Germany. The old town has many narrow streets and quaint old houses with the gables overhanging the lower storeys. The greatest ornament of Frankfort is a promenade, or series of gardens, which extend round three sides of the town. It has numerous public edifices, prominent among which is the Romer, or town hall, a venerable and interesting structure. In one of its halls, the Electors of the Empire met for the election of the Emperor. In another, the Kaisersaal, the Emperor was 2 G banqueted after his election, being waited on at table by princes and officers of the empire. The ceiling of this hall has been richly decorated by modern artists, and its walls contain portraits of the German emperors from Conrad I. to Francis II. The most remarkable of the churches is the Dom, or CATHEDRAL, an ancient structure, surmounted by a fine tower, interesting as the scene of the coronation of the Emperors. It was badly damaged by fire in 1868, but has been restored. St Catherine's Church has a fine altar of black marble, and numerous paintings and monuments. Other public buildings are: the Saalhof, on the site of the ancient palace of the Karlovingian Emperors; the large palace of the Prince of Thurn and Taxis in the Zeil; the Exchange; Theatre; the house in which Luther lived, in the Dom Platz; and that in which Goethe was born, No. 74 Hirschgraben. A colossal statue in bronze has been erected on the Goethe Platz to the memory of the great German poet. A group of three statues in honour of Gutemberg, Faust, and Schoffer, the inventors of printing, has been placed in the Rossmarkt. In the Schiller Platz, is a fine bronze statue of Schiller. Frankfort is rich in collections connected with literature and art. The principal of these are the Stadel Museum, containing a fine gallery of pictures; the Senkenburg Museum of Natural History, containing many rare specimens brought from Egypt, Nubia, and Abyssinia; and a Library, containing 120,000 volumes. In the garden of the banker Bethmann, near the Freidburg gate, in a building erected for it, is the beautiful statue of Ariadne, by Dannecker. It is shown daily from 10 to 1. Fee 50 pf., to the attendant. The NEW OPERA HOUSE is one of the finest in Europe. The Palmen Garten, a sort of winter garden with a fine collection of plants, is well worth visiting. The restaurant is excellent, and is much resorted to by strangers. The city has considerable manufactures; but by far the most important business of Frankfort is in money and banking. Within a few minutes by railway are the pleasant watering-places of Homburg and Wiesbaden, offering many attractions to visitors, and where the hotel accommodation is of a superior character and at reasonable prices. Frankfort may be conveniently visited from either of the places named, the trains running almost hourly. All that is of interest at Frankfort may be seen in a few hours. Wine Merchants -ManskopfSarasin, 15 to 17, Junghof Strasse near the Rossmarkt, the oldest and one of the most reputable wine houses in Germany, whose cellars are well worth a visit as one of the sights of the city. Connected with the city by a stone bridge 950 ft. long, resting on fourteen arches, is the suburb of SACHSENHAUSEN, on the south bank of the river. On the bridge is a statue of Charlemagne, and near the end, in Sachsenhausen, is the old palace of the Knights of the Teutonic Order, now converted into a barrack. WEAVING Berlin, we pass several unimportant places, part of the way lying through fir plantations. We leave, on the right, the line to Breslau, and reach Čustrin (69 miles) (Hotel: Kronprinz), where a line goes off to Frankforton-the-Oder. It is situated at the confluence of the Warthe and the Oder, and is a manufacturing town of some importance. In the Castle, now used as a barrack, Frederick the Great was imprisoned by order of his father, in consequence of his attempt to escape to England. [FRANKFORT-ON-THE-ODER, 51 miles from Berlin, and not on the direct route to Russia. (Hotel: Deutsches Haus). The Marienkirche or Oberkirche is of the 13th century, restored; its high altar is of finely carved wood. In the town is a monument to Prince Leopold of Brunswick]. LANDSBERG (79 miles) (Hotel : Pasedag's Hotel), situated on the Warthe, is an important manufacturing town. The railway traverses a large plain, affording glimpses from time to time, of the sails of the vessels on the river. At KREUZ (117 miles) the line is crossed by that from Stettin to Posen. We proceed through a country presenting alternations of cultivated patches and sandy plains covered with pines. BROMBERG (Hotel: Moritz) (208 miles) is situated on the Brahe, not far from its confluence with the Vistula. There are considerable manufactures carried on here. DIRSCHAU (287 miles) situated on the left bank of the Vistula. Here the line branches off on the left to Dantzic (see page 515). We now cross the river, which is 1,200 ft. wide here, over a bridge of about 870 yards long. We pass over the island of Nogarth, formed by two arms of the Vistula of which the left retains its name, the right called the Nogarth, flowing into the Frische Haff, a freshwater gulf, formed by the influx of the Nogath, the Elbing, and other rivers, and connected with the Baltic by a strait. This delta is protected against inundation by dykes, like those in Holland. The Nogath is crossed over a bridge upwards of 300 ft. long. MARIENBURG (298 miles) (Hotel Konig von Preussen) was formerly the seat of the Teutonic order. The ancient Gothic Château of the Grand Master was built at various periods during the 13th and 14th centuries. It is worth a visit. The church contains the tombs of several of the grand masters. ELBING (306 miles) (Hotel: Stadt Berlin). It is situated on the river of the same name, which falls into the Frische Haff, upon which there are steamers three times a week to Konigsberg, and through which it has access to the Baltic. BRAUNSBERG (351 miles), on the the Passarge, has several public educational establishments. KONIGSBERG (389 miles) (Hotel: Deutsches Haus). This was formerly the capital of Prussia, and the residence of the Electors of Brandenburg, and is a fortress of the first class, situated on the Pregel, a few miles above its influx into the Frische Haff. The Cathedral, a fine Gothic building of the 14th century, is situated on an island. It contains a marble monument of the Margrave Albert of Brandenburg, and several other tombs ; amongst them, one of Kant, the great metaphysician, who was a native of Konigsberg; his house, in the Prinzessin Strasse, is pointed out. The University was founded in 1544. The Palace, built in 1257 by Ottakar, King of Bohemia, has been the residence of the Grand Masters of the Teutonic Order, and of the Dukes of Prussia. In its chapel, in 1701, Frederick I. placed the crown upon his own head, on taking the title of King of Prussia. The Stadt Museum has a collection of pictures. [About twenty-two miles south of Konigsberg is EYLAU, a town of 2,800 inhabitants, celebrated for the sanguinary battle which took place there on the 7th of February 1807, between the French under Napoleon, and Prussians. Twelve miles from Eylau is Friedland, where the French gained a victory over the Prussians in June of the same year.] INSTERBURG (448 miles) (Hotel: de Russie) is a busy manufacturing town of 11,000 inhabitants. [Here a branch line goes off to TILSITT, 25 miles distant, celebrated for the treaty of peace concluded there, July 9, 1807]. We go on to Gumbinnen (462 miles), a manufacturing town of 6,500 inhabitants. EYDTKUHNEN (485 miles) is the last German station. (For the remainder of the journey to St Petersburg see RUSSIA). running through a number of short tunnels, reaches Merzig, Ehrang, and TREVES. (See page 411). ROUTE 137. THE MOSELLE VALLEY by Railway. ROUTE 138. N the 15th of May, 1879, THE RHINE FROM COLOGNE the Moselle Railway was opened. It throws open one of the most beautiful valleys in Europe, which has hitherto only been accessible by the schnellwagen, or by steamer when there happened to be sufficient water in the Moselle. The railway branches off from the Lahn line below Ems, crosses the Lahn by the Hohenrhein works and the Rhine by two bridges, which span the two arms into which the stream is divided by the island of Oberwerth below Laubach. The station at COBLENZ is on the right bank of the Moselle. Trains on the Rhine railway stop at the Moselle station. Leaving Coblenz the line crosses the river at Moselweiss, and thence ascends the left bank. At Guls, Winningen, Cobern, Hatzenport, Moselkern, and Carden are stations. The first halting place of importance, and the first at which express trains stop, is Cochem, thirty miles from Coblenz. Here the line goes under the Ellerberg, through a tunnel 4,200 metres long, then crosses the river and runs up the right bank to Bullay, opposite ALF, in the very heart of the most beautiful scenery of the Moselle Valley. Leaving Bullay, the line again crosses the river, and, TO MAYENCE. HE distance between Cologne and Mayence is 116 miles. The express steamers are the Wilhelm, Kaiser und Konig, Deutscher Kaiser, Humbolt, and Friede. The two first make the passage from Cologne to Mayence in 12 hours, and from Mayence to Cologne in 7 hours. The latter take about two hours more up, and one hour more down stream. These steamers are very comfortable, having deck saloons with windows throughout the entire length. Fares, Cologne to Mayence, first class, 9 marks; to Coblentz, 4.30 marks. From Mayence to Cologne, 10.80 marks. 110 lbs. of baggage is allowed free. The express steamers only run_between 1st May and 15th October. Passengers are advised to take their tickets immediately on embarking, as otherwise they are liable to be asked for the full fare from the starting-point. Tickets of two marks and over carry the right to break the journey at any point the traveller chooses, provided he gives notice to the ticket collector. Refreshments are provided on board at a moderate charge. |