is redolent of its historical past, when, as one of the leading cities
of the Hanseatic League, it enjoyed commercial supremacy over all the
towns of Westphalia. Among its ancient buildings must be mentioned the
Reinoldikirche, with fine stained-glass windows, the Marienkirche, the
nave of which dates from the 11th century, the Petrikirche, with a
curious altar, and the Dominican church, with beautiful cloisters. The
13th-century town hall was restored in 1899 and now contains the
municipal antiquarian museum, having been superseded by a more
commodious building. Among the chief modern structures may be mentioned
the magnificent post office, erected in 1895, the provincial law courts,
the municipal infirmary and the large railway station. To the W. of the
last there existed down to 1906 (when it was removed) one of the ancient
lime trees of the Konigshof, where the meetings of the _Vehmgericht_
were held (see FEHMIC COURTS). But the real interest of Dortmund centres
in its vast industries, which owe their development to the situation of
the town in the centre of the great Westphalian coal basin. In the
immediate vicinity are also extensive beds of iron ore, and this
combination of mineral wealth has enabled the town to become a
competitor with Essen, Oberhausen, Duisburg and Hagen in the products of
the iron industry. These in Dortmund more particularly embrace steel
railway rails, mining plant, wire ropes, machinery, safes and sewing
machines. Dortmund has also extensive breweries, and, in addition to the
manufactured goods already enumerated, does a considerable trade in corn
and wood. Besides being well furnished with a convenient railway system,
linking it with the innumerable manufacturing towns and villages of the
iron district, it is also connected with the river Ems by the
Dortmund-Ems Canal, 170 m. in length.

Dortmund, the Throtmannia of early history, was already a town of some
importance in the 9th century. In 1005 the emperor Henry II. held here
an ecclesiastical council, and in 1016 an imperial diet. The town was
walled in the 12th century, and in 1387-1388 successfully withstood the
troops of the archbishop of Cologne, who besieged it for twenty-one
months. About the middle of the 13th century it joined the Hanseatic
League. At the close of the Thirty Years' War the population had become
reduced to 3000. In 1803 Dortmund lost its rights as a free town, and
was annexed to Nassau. The French occupied it in 1