Dortmund

Dortmund, the chief town of Westphalia, near the Ernscher, 72 miles N.E. of Cologne. It was formerly a free Hanse town, and was ceded to Prussia in 1815. The prosperity of the town has been much increased by the neighbourhood of coal-mines, and it is the head of the mining district and the centre of a railway system. Among its industries are iron and steel and machinery works, and very many breweries. The town has an interesting early history, and there are several old churches. An old linden marks the site of the Vehmgericht. The demolition of the walls in 1863 has much modernised the town.