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WESTPHALIA (Ger. Westfalen)

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Originally appearing in Volume V28, Page 557 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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WESTPHALIA (Ger. Westfalen) , a See also:province of the See also:kingdom of See also:Prussia. The See also:ancient duchy and the See also:Napoleonic kingdom of the same name, neither of which was conterminous with the See also:modern province, are dealt with in the See also:historical See also:part of this See also:article. The See also:area of the province is 7801 sq. m., its length both from N. to S. and from E. to W. is about 130 m., and it is bounded N. by See also:Hanover, E. by Schaumburg-See also:Lippe, Hanover, Lippe-Detmold, See also:Brunswick, See also:Hesse-See also:Nassau and Waldeck, S. and S.W. by Hesse-Nassau and the See also:Rhine Province, and N.W. by the kingdom of the See also:Netherlands. Nearly See also:half of Westphalia is an See also:extension of the See also:great See also:North-See also:German See also:plain, which here stretches S.E. into an acute See also:angle enclosed on the N.E. by the See also:long See also:low range of the Teutoburger Wald and its See also:southern prolongation the Eggegebirge, and on the S. by the See also:line of hills called the Haar or Haarstrang, which divides the basins of the Lippe and See also:Ruhr. The Westphalian plain is broken by extensive outcrops of the underlying cretaceous beds, and is not very fertile, except in the Hellweg, a See also:zone between the Haarstrang and the Lippe. There are extensive See also:fens in the N. and W., and N. of See also:Paderborn is a sandy See also:waste called the Senne. The plain is drained in the N. by the See also:Ems and in the S. by the Lippe, which rise See also:close together in the Teutoburger Wald. Between their basins are the Vechte and other small See also:rivers flowing into the Zuider Zee. The triangular southern portion of Westphalia, most of which is included in Sauer-See also:land (" See also:south land "), is a rugged region of See also:slate hills and wooded valleys drained chiefly by the Ruhr with its affluents the Lenne, Mohne, &c., and in the S. by the Sieg and Eder. The hills rise in the S.E. to the Rotlager or Rothaargebirge, culminating in the Winterberg See also:plateau with the Kahler Asten (2713 ft.), the highest See also:summit in the province. The Rotlagergebirge, Eggegebirge and Teutoburger Wald See also:form with some intermediate ranges the See also:water-See also:shed between the See also:basin of the See also:Weser and those of the Rhine and Ems.

In the N.E. corner of the province the Weser divides the Wiehengebirge from the Wesergebirge by the narrow pass called See also:

Porte Westfalica. The See also:climate is temperate except in the south, which is See also:cold in See also:winter and has a heavy rainfall. Of the See also:total area 43% is occupied by arable land and gardens, 18'/s' by meadows and pastures and 28 % by forests. The best agricultural land is in the Hellweg and the Weser basin. The number of See also:peasant proprietors is proportionately greater than in any other part of Prussia, and as a class they are well-to-do. The crops include See also:grain of all kinds (not sufficient, however, for the needs of the province), peas and beans, See also:buckwheat, potatoes, See also:fruit and See also:hemp. The cultivation of See also:flax is very extensive, especially in the N.E. See also:Swine, which are reared in great See also:numbers in the plains, yield the famous Westphalian hams; and the rearing of See also:cattle and goats is important. The breeding of horses is fostered by the See also:government. The See also:mineral See also:wealth is very great, especially in See also:coal and See also:iron. The See also:production of coal is greater than that of any other province of Prussia, and amounted in 1906 to 53,000,000 tons. The great Ruhr coal-See also:field extends from the Rhineland into the province as far as See also:Unna, the centre being See also:Dortmund, and there is a smaller coal-field in the N. at Ibbenbiiren.

The production of iron ore, chiefly S. of the Ruhr (1,360,000 tons in 19o5) is exceeded in Prussia only by that of the Rhine province. After coal and iron the most valuable minerals are See also:

zinc, See also:lead, See also:pyrites and See also:copper. See also:Antimony, quicksilver, See also:stone, See also:marble, slate and See also:potter's See also:clay are also worked, and there are brine springs in the Hellweg and mineral springs at See also:Lippspringe, Oynhausen, &c. The manufacturing See also:industry of the province, which chiefly depends upon its mineral wealth, is very extensive. Iron and See also:steel goods are produced in the so-called " Enneper Strasse," the valley of the Ennepe, a small tributary of the Ruhr with the See also:town of See also:Hagen, and in the neighbouring towns of See also:Bochum, Dortmund, See also:Iserlohn and See also:Altena, and also in the See also:Siegen See also:district. The See also:brass and bronzeindustries are carried on at Iserlohn and Altena, those of See also:tin and Britannia See also:metal at Liidenscleid; needles are made at Iserlohn and See also:wire at Altena. The very important See also:linen industry of See also:Bielefeld. See also:Herford, See also:Minden and Warendorf has flourished in this region since the 14th See also:century. Jute is manufactured at Bielefeld and See also:cotton goods in the W. See also:Paper is extensively made on the See also:lower Lenne, and See also:leather around Siegen. Other manufactures are See also:glass, chemicals, See also:sugar, sausages and cigars. An active See also:trade is promoted by several See also:trunk lines of railway which See also:cross the province (total mileage in 1906, 1889 m., exclusive of See also:light See also:railways) and by the See also:navigation of the Weser (on which Minden has a See also:port), Ems, Ruhr and Lippe.

Beverungen is the See also:

chief See also:market for See also:corn and Paderborn for See also:wool. The See also:population in 1905 was 3,618,090, or 464 per sq. m. It is very unevenly distributed, and in the See also:industrial districts is increasing very rapidly. In See also:recent years there has been a great influx of Poles into these parts, attracted by the higher See also:wages. In 1900 they already numbered more than 1oo,000. Between 1895 and 1900 the mean See also:annual increase of the population was 3'3%, the highest recorded in the German See also:empire, but between 'goo and 1905 it See also:fell to 2.5%. The percentage of illegitimate births (2.6) is the lowest in See also:Germany. 51.0% of the inhabitants are See also:Roman Catholics, 47.9% Protestants. The See also:distribution of the two communions still closely follows the lines of the See also:settlement at the See also:peace of Westphalia. Thus the former duchy of Westphalia and the bishoprics of See also:Munster and Paderborn which remained in ecclesiastical hands are almost entirely Roman See also:Catholic, while the secularized bishopric of Minden and the former counties of Ravensberg and See also:Mark, which fell or had fallen to See also:Brandenburg, and the Siegen district, which belonged to Nassau, are predominantly See also:Protestant. The province is divided into the three governmental departments (Regierungsbezirke) of Minden, Munster and See also:Arnsberg. Munster is the seat of government and of the provincial university.

Westphalia returns See also:

thirty-one members to the Prussian Lower See also:House and seventeen to the Reichstag. The inhabitants are mainly of the Saxon stock and speak Low German dialects, except in the Upper Frankish district around Siegen, where the See also:Hessian See also:dialect is spoken. Westphalia, " the western plain" (in See also:early records Westfalahi), was originally the name of the western province of the early duchy of See also:Saxony, including the western portion of the modern province and extending north to the See also:borders of See also:Friesland. When See also:Duke See also:Henry the See also:Lion of Saxony fell under the See also:ban of the empire in 1 8o, and his duchy was divided, the bishops of Munster and Paderborn became princes of the empire, and the See also:archbishop of See also:Cologne, See also:Philip of Heinsberg, received from the See also:emperor See also:Frederick I. the See also:Sauerland and some other districts which became the duchy of Westphalia. Within the duchy were some in-dependent See also:secular territories, notably the See also:county of Mark, while other districts were held as fiefs from the archbishops, afterwards See also:electors. From 1368 the electors themselves held the county of Arnsberg as an imperial See also:fief. The duchy received a constitution of its own, and was governed for the elector by a See also:marshal (Landmarschall, after 1480 Landdrost) who was also See also:stadtholder, and presided over the Westphalian chancellery. This See also:system lasted till 1863. By See also:Maximilian's administrative organization of the empire in 15oo the duchy of Westphalia was included as an See also:appanage of Cologne in the scattered circle of the Lower Rhine. The Westphalian circle which was formed at the same See also:time comprised nearly all the See also:rest of the modern province (including Mark, and the lands north of it between the Weser and the frontier of the Netherlands, also See also:Verden, Schaumburg, Nassau, Wied, Lippe, See also:Berg, See also:Cleves, Jiilich, See also:Liege, See also:Bouillon and See also:Cambrai. Brandenburg laid the See also:foundations of her dominion in Westphalia by obtaining the counties of Mark and Ravensberg in 1614 (confirmed 1666), to which the bishopric of Minden was added by the peace of Westphalia in 1648 and Tecklenburg in 1707. By the settlement of 1803 the See also:church lands were secularized, and Prussia received the bishopric of Paderborn and the eastern part of Munster, while the electoral duchy of Westphalia was given to Hesse-See also:Darmstadt.

After the peace of See also:

Tilsit the kingdom of Westphalia was created by See also:Napoleon I. on the 18th of See also:August 1807, and given to his See also:brother See also:Jerome (see See also:BONAPARTE). It included the See also:present governmental See also:department of Minden, but by far the larger part of the kingdom See also:lay outside and chiefly to the See also:east of the modern province, and comprised the Hanoverian department of See also:Hildesheim and in part that of Arensberg, Brunswick, the See also:northern part of the province of Saxony as far as the See also:Elbe, See also:Halle, and most of Hesse-See also:Cassel. The area was 14,627 sq. m., and the population nearly two millions. Cassel was the See also:capital. A constitution on the See also:French imperial See also:pattern granted by the See also:king remained practically inoperative, an arbitrary bureaucratic regime was instituted, the finances were from the beginning in a hopeless See also:condition, and the See also:country was drained of men and See also:money for Napoleon's See also:wars. In See also:January 1810 most of Hanover was added, but at the end of the same See also:year half the latter, together with the See also:city of Minden, was annexed to the French empire. There had already been serious revolts and raids, and after the See also:battle of See also:Leipzig the Russians drove the king from Cassel (See also:October 1813), the kingdom of Westphalia was dissolved and the old See also:order was for a time re-established. At the See also:congress of See also:Vienna (1815) Hesse-Darmstadt surrendered her See also:share of Westphalia to Prussia, and the present province was constituted. See Weddigen, Westfalen, Land and Leute (Paderborn, 1896) ; G. Schulze, Heimatskunde der Provinz Westfalen (Minden, 190o) ; See also:Lemberg, See also:Die See also:Mitten- and Metallindustrie Rheinlands and Westfalens (4th ed., Dortmund, 19o5); J. S. Seibertz, See also:Landes- and Rechtsgeschichte See also:des Herzogtums Westfalen (4 vols., Arnsberg, 1839–1875) ; R.

Wilmans, Die Kaiserurkunden der Provinz Westfalen (2 vols., Munster, 1867–1881); M. See also:

Jansen, Die Herzogsgewalt der Erzbischofe von Koln in Westfalen (See also:Munich, 1895); Holzapfel, Das Konigreich Westfalen (See also:Magdeburg, 1895) ; G. Servieres, L'Allemagne frangaise sous Napoleon (See also:Paris, 1904) ; Haselhoff, Die Entwickelung der Landeskultur in der Provinz Westfalen See also:im 'plea Jahehundert (Munster, 1900).

End of Article: WESTPHALIA (Ger. Westfalen)

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