LÜNEBURG, a town of Hanover, capital of a province of the same name, on the left bank of the Ilmenau, and on the Hamburg and Hanover Railway, 82 miles N.N.E. of the latter. It is surrounded by old walls, having six gates, and is a dull, ill-built town, the streets being narrow and dark, and the houses old-fashioned. The principal public buildings are,—the royal palace, the town-hall, St Michael's church, underneath which are the burial vaults of the old dukes of Lüneburg, St John's church, the exchange, and the cavalry barracks. The academy for the education of young noblemen occupies the old convent of St Michael, and has a museum, and a library of about 15,000 volumes. The River Ilmenau, which falls into the Elbe about 10 miles below the town, is here navigable, and by means of it Lüneburg carries on a considerable trade in the products of the surrounding country. Lime-burning and the making of salt constitute the chief branches of industry, the materials for which are abundant in the neighbourhood. Pop. 12,400. The province of Lüneburg is an immense sandy plain, chiefly covered with heath, moor, and forest, mostly of fir. Along the banks of the rivers, particularly the Aller and Elbe, occur some fertile land. Flax is cultivated; but the quantity of corn produced is not sufficient for the wants of the people. The breeding of cattle is much attended to, and sheep are very numerous. Many of the inhabitants derive a great portion of their subsistence from the keeping of bees. Area 4326. Pop. (1852) 338,764, almost all Lutherans.