number of students is about 900. The library contains 200,000 volumes. The principal church at Bonn is the CATHEDRAL, a beautiful edifice in the transition style, built in 1270, and restored in 1845. The most remarkable parts of the building are the windows of the nave, the crypt, and the cloisters, which date from 1157. In the Cathedral - place is the bronze monument of Beethoven, who was a native of Bonn. The house in which he was born is still standing in the Rheingasse. The other churches are without interest. A favourite promenade of the inhabitants is the Hofgarten. The vicinity of the city abounds in pleasant excursions and promenades.

The time occupied by the steamers in going from Bonn to Cologne is about 14 hours.

The banks of the river between the two cities are flat and uninteresting, and the villages passed on the way are without interest.

COLOGNE (Hotels: Disch, Du Nord, Mainzer Hof, Hollandischer Hof).

(For description of the city, see Route 56.)

ROUTE 106.

MAYENCE TO FRANKFORT-ON-THE-MAIN.

21 miles; 1st class, 2.95; 2nd, 1.95; 3rd, 1.35.

N leaving Mayence we cross the Rhine to CASTEL, and keep along the right bank of the Main to HOCHHEIM (4 miles). The village stands on the summit of a hill covered with vineyards down

to the Main. The celebrated Hock wine is produced here. The vineyards are the property of the Duke of Nassau. HATTERSHEIM (6 miles). Höchst (15) miles), situated on the Nidda. The palace of the Elector of Mayence is now a private residence. The Church is of great antiquity. (From this place there is a branch to Soden (3 miles), at the foot of the Taunus Mountains. From thence there are diligences to Königstein.) We see from this point the Felberg, and the Castle of Falkenstein be

low it.

FRANKFORT-ON-THE-MAIN (21 miles). (For description, see Route 103.)

[From Castel, WIESBADEN (5 miles) may be reached through Mosbach (34 miles). Close to this place is Biebrich, situated on the Rhine, (Hotels: Belle Vue, de l'Europe, Rheinischer Hof), (see Route 105). The small castle of Mossbach, on an artificial piece of water, contains some Roman antiquities. WIESBADEN (5 miles), (Hotels: see "HOTEL APPENDIX"), population 32,000, is a beautiful town, celebrated for its baths, which attract a great concourse of visitors in the season (from June to September). The Kursaal is the chief centre of attraction. It has fine saloons. Balls are given on Saturdays; concerts on Mondays and Fridays. Music in the grounds near the Kursaal several times a day. The gambling rooms the right of the grand saloon were closed by law at the end of 1872. There are also spacious reading and refreshment rooms. Wiesbaden has fourteen hot springs, of which the principal is the Kochbrunnen (boiling spring), with a temperature of 156° Fahr. It is at the end of

on

the arcade called the Trinkhalle. The Romans called these springs Fontes Mattiuci. The Römerberg is a Roman fort on the north-west of the town. At the end of the Heidenberg Strasse is a fragment of a Roman wall 650 ft. in length, 10 ft. high, and 9 thick, called the Heidenmauer (Heathen's Wall). Charlemagne used to visit the baths, and built a palace here. The Sclösschen, in the Wilhelm's Strasse, contains a library of 60,000 volumes and some valuable manuscripts; also a Museum of Antiquities, including some Roman remains; and a small collection of paintings. There is a spacious Theatre, at which the performances begin at 6.30 P. M.

On a hill called the Neroberg, a few miles from the town, is a beautiful Russian chapel, built by the Duke of Nassau. It contains the tomb of his first wife, who was a Russian princess.

Wiesbaden was the capital of the Duchy of Nassau before 1866. It now belongs to Prussia.

ROUTE 107.

MAYENCE TO DARMSTADT.

20 miles; 1st class, 3.35; 2nd, 2.25.

(Travellers desiring to proceed from Mayence to Heidelberg and the south, or to Würzburg, will save nearly 20 miles of travel, by going direct from Mayence to Darmstadt, instead of taking the route by Frankfort.)

Mayence has been described in Route 105.

ASSING through an uninteresting

region along the east bank of the Rhine, abounding in vineyards, we pass Laubenheim, Bodenheim, and Nierstein, all of which give their names to wellknown wines of the second class, and reach OPPENHEIM (12 miles), population, 2,500. On a hill north-west of the town, is seen the Church of St. Catherine, a handsome Gothic edifice of the twelfth century. Above it, are the ruins of the Castle of Landskrone, which dates from the twelfth century. Quitting the borders of the river, we pass Gernsheim, Guntersblum, and several other unimportant stations, and arrive at WORMS (28 miles), (Hotels: Alter Kaiser, Rheinischer Hof), population, 11,000.

Just before reaching Worms, we

F F

see the Gothic Church of Our Lady, built in the fifteenth century, and recently restored. It is situated in the vineyard which produces the well-known Liebfraumilch wine.

Worms is a walled town, with massive towers, and seven gates. The Doм, or Cathedral, an edifice of the twelfth century, partly in the Gothic, and partly in the Byzantine style, has two towers at each end, and a fine portal with elaborate sculptures. The interior has been restored.

North of the Dom are the remains of the Bischofshof, consisting of a few stone walls. In it was held, in 1521, the celebrated Diet of Worms, at which Luther appeared before Charles V.

A fine bronze statue of the great Reformer was erected here in 1868.

St. Paul's Church is interesting for the beauty of its west end and choir, dating from the eleventh century.

Worms is one of the oldest cities in Germany, and is the scene of the Niebelungen Lied. It was occupied by the Romans, and was the frequent residence of Charlemagne. Its population once reached 60,000. It was almost wholly destroyed by the French in the Thirty Years' War, and has never recovered its former

prosperity. Part of the space formerly occupied by the city, is now covered with gardens.

A few miles above Worms, we leave the territory of Darmstadt, and enter the Grand Duchy of Baden.

Frankenthal (55 miles), is a prosperous town, with a population of 5,600. A canal connects it with the Rhine, three miles distant. LUDWIGSHAFEN (42 miles), a flourishing town, occupying the site of one of the fortifications of

Mannheim, is connected with the latter by a bridge of boats.

MANNHEIM, (Hotels: de l'Europe, Pfalzer Hof), population, 35,000, is situated on the right bank of the Rhine, between it and the Neckar. It is regularly built, with twelve streets running parallel to each other from north to south, and ten crossing them at right angles. There are fourteen public squares, nearly all of which are adorned with fountains. Those most worthy of notice, are the Planken, and the Schiller Platz; the latter containing statues of Schiller, Dalberg, and Iffland.

The Palace is a huge quadrangular stone building, containing a gallery of paintings of no great

merit.

The gardens behind it terminate in a terrace, which overlooks the Rhine. Its fortifications were destroyed after the peace of Luneville, and their place is now occupied by gardens.

[SPIRES (Hotel: Wittelsbacherhof), population, 13,700, is about ten miles, by railway, from Ludwigshafen. It is situated at the confluence of the Spire with the Rhine. It is surrounded with walls. It was a Roman station, a residence of the German Emperors, and the seat of the Germanic Diet. It once contained a population of 27,000. Its prosperity began to decline in the 17th century. The greatest blow upon it was inflicted by Louis XIV., who, having taken possession of the city in 1689, ordered its inhabitants, under pain of death, to emigrate within six days. It was afterwards burned. It came into the possession of Bavaria in 1816, since which time much has been done for its improvement.

The Cathedral, which was spared in the destruction of the city, though the French attempted to

destroy it with gunpowder, is perhaps the largest representative of the old Romanesque style in Europe. It was founded in 1027, on the site of a Roman temple of Venus. It is flanked by two pointed towers. The interior is chaste, and almost devoid of ornament. It contains some remarkable monuments. Eight German Emperors are buried within its walls. It has been restored within the last few years, and some fine paintings executed on the walls of the interior. There are no other public buildings worthy of particular notice. In 1529 the famous Diet was held at Spires, at which the Reformers presented the protest which originally conferred upon them the name of PROTESTANTS.]

Continuing our journey to Heidelberg, we reach that place in less than half an hour. See page 471.

ROUTE 109.

FRANKFORT TO EMS, BY

WIESBADEN.

89 miles; 1st class, 11.30; 2nd, 8.20; 3rd, 5.30.

(For Route from Frankfort to Wiesbaden, see Route 106.)

EAVING Wiesbaden, we reach the Rhine at BIEBRICH (3 miles). We pass ELTVILLE (9 miles), RUDESHEIM (19 miles), ST. GOARHAUSEN (37 miles) and ÜBERLAHNSTEIN (54 miles), all of which have been described in Route 105. At this point our route leaves the main line to Coblenz. It is about one hour's journey from Oberlahnstein through a beautiful country to Ems (Hotels:

see

"HOTEL APPENDIX "), population, 4,000. This agreeable watering-place is pleasantly situated on both banks of the Lahn. The Kursaal is a handsome building close to the river. It contains a café, concert room, and a ball-room, with a theatre for French plays and occasional concerts. Two of the chief springs are under the old Kurhaus-the Kesselbrunnen and the Krünchen ; the temperature of the former is 116 degrees Fahr. This building is connected with the Kursaal by a fine hall. There are baths in the Kurhaus, also in the Nassauer Hof, and in the Neve Badhaus, on the left bank. A covered suspension-bridge connects the gardens with those on the right bank. There are also baths in the Vier Thürme.

The interviews between the King of Prussia and the French envoy, which preceded the declaration of war between France and Prussia in July 1870, took place at Ems.

[About six miles from the Eltville station is SCHLANGENBAD (Hotels: see "APPENDIX"), to which diligences go several times daily in one hour. It is a little village surrounded by wooded hills, much resorted to for its baths. It has two bathhouses, the Old and New Badhaus, and has generally about 850 visitors in the season. The waters are efficacious in diseases of the skin. It has a band of music, which plays frequently in the grounds, reading-room, &c., but no gaming tables.

About four miles further on towards Wiesbaden, is LANGENSCHWALBACH (Hotels: see "HoTEL APPENDIX "), a straggling village with a permanent population of 2,800. Its mineral springs are, the Weinbrunnen, so

called from its fancied resemblance to wine, and the Stahlbrunnen, both of which contain iron, and rank among the best iron waters in Europe. The season begins in June, and usually terminates in August. It has about 5,000 visitors during the season.]

ROUTE 110.

FRANKFORT-ON-THE

MAIN TO CASSEL.

124 miles; 1st class (express), 1600 pf.; 2nd, 1200 pf.; 3rd, 800 pf.

EAVING Frankfort we pass some unimportant places before reaching Gross-Karben, close to which station are the famous TAUNUS SPRINGS, the waters of which are sent in great quantities to England, America, and other countries and are SO much esteemed. The springs are the property of M. Freidrich, the proprietor of the Hotel du Nord, at Cologne. FRIEDBERG (21 miles), (Hotels: Trapp,Simon), population, 5,600. This curious old town is situated on a hill, and surrounded by walls. Within the precincts of the picturesque Castle is an old Gothic Church, and there are the ruins of another in the town. We cross a viaduct 70 ft. high, and proceed to NAUHEIM (23 miles), (Hotels: de l'Europe, Bellevue, Kursaal). Here is a famous hot salt spring of 95 degrees Fahr. The Kurhaus is a fine building, situated in a park.

Previous to 1873 there were gaming tables here. Passing Butzbach (29 miles), we see the ruins of the Castles of Fetzberg and Gleiberg, before reaching GIESSEN (414 miles), (Hotels: Rappe, Post, Einhorn), population, 10,241. It is beautifully situated on the Lahn. The University, founded in 1607, possesses a fine library. The celebrated Liebig was a professor here, 1824-52. (Branch lines to Ems, Coblenz, and to Cologne.) Proceeding down the valley of the Lahn, we cross that river before reaching MARBURG (60 miles), (Hotels: Pfeiffer, Ritter), population, 8,506. It is a picturesque old town, situated on the side of a hill by the Lahn. in a beautiful position, was once a stronghold of the Teutonic order. Among its interesting objects are the Castle of the Landgraves of Hesse, now a prison; the University, which has usually 250 students, and has had among its students Luther, Zwingli, and Melancthon; its library contains over 110,000 volumes. The church of St. Elizabeth is a Gothic edifice of the thirteenth century, the style of which is regarded as exceedingly pure. It is in a state of excellent preservation.

The conferences between the Swiss and Wittenberg Reformers took place in one of the halls of the old Castle of Marburg,

The University was founded in 1527 by Philip the Magnani

mous.

We cross the Lahn, and pass, amongst other places, Wabern (104 miles), where the Elector had his country seat. We then cross the Fulda by a viaduct of thirteen arches, and reach GUNTERSHAUSEN (116 miles), (Hotel: Bellevue). A branch turns off here to Eisenach (see Route 103).