Grand Duchy of, is situated in the S.W. Boundaries of Germany, between Lat. 47° 32'. and 49° 52'. N.; and Long. 7° 27'. and 9° 50'. E. It is bounded on the N. by Bavaria and Hesse-Darmstadt; W. by Rhenish Bavaria and France; S. by Switzerland; and E. by Wurtemberg and the principality of Hohenzollern. At the commencement of the present century, Baden was only a margraviate with an area little exceeding 1300 square miles, and a population of 210,000. Since then it has from time to time acquired additional territory, so that its area now amounts to upwards of 5900 square miles, and its population to nearly a million and a half.
The margraves of Baden belonged to the Zähringen family, the founder of which was Berthold, landgrave of Breisgau, who flourished about the middle of the 11th century. Berthold's third son, Hermann, acquired Baden by marriage; and his grandson, Hermann II., fixed his residence at Baden, and took the title of margrave. Margrave Christoph I. was succeeded on his death in 1527 by his three sons, one of whom however died soon after, and the margraviate was divided among the two survivors, who thus formed the two lines of Baden-Baden and Baden-Durlach. The line of Baden-Baden became extinct by the death of Augustus George in 1771, and its possessions were united with Baden-Durlach under Charles Frederick. By the treaty of Luneville con- cluded in 1801, Baden acquired a considerable addition of territory, which was farther increased in 1803 when the margrave received the title of elector. The treaty of Presburg, in 1805, still farther increased his domains, by the addition of Breisgau, so that Baden had then an area of 3455 square miles, with 670,000 inhabitants. On the dissolution of the German empire, and his joining the confederation of the Rhine, in 1806, the elector received the title of Grand Duke, and 1950 square miles of additional territory. Some smaller additions at subsequent periods have increased Baden to its present extent.
In 1832 it was divided into 4 circles, 74 bailiwicks, Population and 1595 communes. By the census of 1849, the population was 1,362,774; of whom 905,143 were Roman Catholics, 432,184 Protestants, and 23,547 Jews. The following table gives the extent and population of each of the four circles according to the census of 1852:
| Circles | Square Miles | Bailiwicks | Communes | Pop. in 1852 | |--------------|--------------|------------|----------|-------------| | Lake | 1303 | 15 | 376 | 199,075 | | Upper Rhine | 1654 | 18 | 443 | 349,205 | | Middle Rhine | 1633 | 21 | 389 | 462,085 | | Lower Rhine | 1314 | 20 | 382 | 346,578 | | | 5904 | 74 | 1595 | 1,356,945 |
Baden contains 115 cities, 45 market towns, 1634 villages, and 533 hamlets. The capital of the duchy is Carlsruhe: Pop. 23,217.
Baden is principally of a mountainous or hilly character, interspersed with fertile and pleasant valleys. On the western side of this country, and extending along the Rhine, is a very fertile stripe of land, from which the rest of the country rises towards the east. In the southern and eastern parts is the Black Forest (Schwarzwald), extending northwards as far as the Neckar, north of which is the Odenwald range, sometimes considered as a part of the Schwarzwald, but considerably less elevated. The highest peaks of the Black Forest are the Feldberg and the Belchen, which attain respectively the height of 4650 and 4397 feet; the Katzenbuckel, the highest point of the Odenwald, is only 2180 feet high. Lying between the Rhine and the Treisam is the Kaiserstuhl, an independent volcanic group, nearly 10 miles in length and five in breadth, the highest point of which is 1760 feet.
This country is watered by numerous rivers and streams; of these, the principal is the Rhine, which is the recipient of almost all the rest, and forms the boundary of the duchy on the S. and W. Among its other rivers are the Main, Tauber, Neckar, Murg, Kinzig, Wutach, Pfinz, and Elz. The Danube too takes its rise here. Baden has also a number of lakes, as the Mümmel Wilder, Nonnenmattweiher, Tittl, Eichener, Schluch, &c. A part of Lake Constance belongs to Baden.
The climate of Baden varies considerably with the elevation, but is everywhere very salubrious. In the plains and valleys it is mild and agreeable, but in the higher parts it is cold and moist, with snow during a great part of the year; and the transition from winter to summer is often very sudden.
The inhabitants are chiefly engaged in agricultural and pastoral pursuits, for which their country affords many advantages. In the valleys and plains the soil is particularly fertile and productive, yielding most luxuriant crops of wheat, maize, barley, beans, potatoes, flax, hemp, and tobacco; and even in the mountainous parts, rye, wheat, and oats are extensively cultivated. There is also a considerable extent of pasture land, and a great part is covered with woods. The vineyards are extensive, producing various kinds of excellent wine, and the gardens and orchards supply abundance of fruits of the finest description, especially almonds, chestnuts, and walnuts. The distribution of the surface of the duchy is as follows:
| Arable | 1,476,626 or 34-8% | | Meadow | 406,613 | | Pasture | 225,739 | | Vineyards | 68,064 | | Gardens | 37,507 | | Woods and Forests | 1,296,861 | | Quarries, Gravel and Clay Pits | 102 | | Waste land | 21,214 | | Buildings, Roads, and Waters | 711,594 |
The manufactures of Baden were formerly very insignificant, but latterly they have been much improved. They are, however, chiefly confined to iron and hardware goods, and the spinning and weaving of cotton. The inhabitants of the Black Forest have long been celebrated for their dexterity in the manufacture of wooden ornaments and toys, watches, clocks, musical boxes, organs, &c. There are extensive government salt-works at Durlheim and Rappensau, and iron-works at Albrigg and other places. The mines of Ober-Mineralwelt and Kandern produce excellent iron. Silver, gold, and copper are also among its mineral productions, as well as alum, vitriol, sulphur, and coal. Gold washing, formerly extensively carried on along the Rhine, is now little practised. The mineral springs of Baden are very numerous, and have acquired great celebrity.
The exports of Baden are very considerable, and exceed a million sterling per annum, consisting chiefly of its agricultural and industrial products. It has about 75 leagues of railways, the principal of which is that traversing almost the entire length of the country, from Mannheim to Basle in Switzerland, and of which 62 leagues are in Baden.
The educational institutions of Baden are numerous and flourishing. There are two universities, the Protestant one at Heidelberg, founded in 1386, and the Catholic one at Freiburg, founded in 1457. The attendance at the former in 1849 was 543, at the latter 368. There are also 6 lyceums, 3 gymnasia, 4 normal schools, 19 higher and 7 Latin schools, besides about 2000 common schools established throughout the country. There is an institution in Pforzheim for the deaf and dumb, and one in Freiburg for the blind.
A polytechnic school was established about 18 years ago at Carlsruhe, and is now perhaps the most efficient institution of the kind in Germany. It has a staff of 41 teachers, and about 330 students. The preparatory course extends over three years, and includes French, German, English, general history, mathematics, drawing, modelling, chemistry, mineralogy and geology, mechanics, &c. The special courses are engineering, architecture, forestry, chemistry, mechanics, commerce, and post-office service; and extend over from one to four years.
The government is a hereditary monarchy, vested in the grand duke, who enjoys the executive and judicial powers, but is assisted in the legislative by two chambers, the one of peers, and the other of deputies. The chamber of peers consists of 36 members, 8 of whom are chosen by the grand duke, and one by each of the two universities; the remaining members are, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Freiburg, a Protestant prelate, and the principal nobility. The chamber of deputies has 64 members, elected by all the males who have attained their twenty-fifth year. Each member must be at least 30 years of age, and is elected for 8 years; one-fourth of the members going out every two years.
Baden occupies the seventh rank in the Germanic confederation, and furnishes a contingent of 10,000 men to the federal army. It has three votes in the full diet, and one in the minor assembly. By the approved budget of 1852 and Revenue 1853, the clear united revenue for these years was fixed at 19,536,497 florins (L1,628,041), and the expenditure at 19,545,723 florins (L1,628,810). The public debt in 1852 was 60,894,107 florins (L5,074,509), of which
of BADEN-BADEN, a town and celebrated watering-place of Germany, in the circle of Middle Rhine and Grand Duchy of Baden. It stands on the Oos, in a valley of the Black Forest, 18 miles S.W. of Carlsruhe; and it is connected by a branch with the Mannheim and Basle railway. Baden during the months of July and August is frequented by great numbers of visitors from all parts of Europe, so that its resident population, which is only about 6000, is frequently augmented to three times that number. There are thirteen hot springs, varying in temperature from 37° to 54° R., = 115° to 156° F.; and the water is conveyed through the town in pipes to supply the different baths. The superiority of its situation, its extensive pleasure-grounds, gardens, and promenades, render Baden one of the first watering-places in Germany. It was for six centuries the residence of the margraves of Baden. The "old castle" occupying the summit of a hill above the town, was the earliest residence of the reigning house; and the "new castle" (so called by comparison), situated close to the town, is remarkable for its subterranean dungeons. Baden has a library and reading-room, theatre, assembly rooms, and the other accessories of a fashionable watering-place. The parish church contains monuments of several of the margraves. The springs of Baden were known to the Romans under the name of Aurelia Aquensis, and fragments of ancient sculpture are still to be seen there. In 1847 remains of Roman vapour baths, well preserved, were discovered just beneath the new castle.
a small town of Switzerland, in the canton of Aargau, on the Limmat, 14 miles N.W. of Zurich. It is much resorted to, principally by the Swiss, on account of its hot medicinal springs. The treaty of 1714 between France and Germany was concluded here. Pop. 2500.
a small city in the Austrian province of the Lower Enns, in the circle of Wiener Wald. It is about twelve miles from Vienna, and is the most fashionable summer resort of the inhabitants of that capital. The situation is highly romantic, and the prospects in its vicinity are picturesque and beautiful. It has many warm baths, which are much resorted to by invalids. Accommodations and amusements are here as amply furnished to the visitors as at the other German spas. Baden suffered much by a fire in 1812, but has since been very elegantly rebuilt. The Archduke Charles has a residence at this place, which is a favourite retirement of the imperial family. The stationary population amounts to 4000. Baden stands on the rapid river Schwachat, whose waterfalls greatly enhance its natural beauties.