BADEN. 



197 



including Villingen (5,578 inhabitants) ; but on the southern slope of the Black 

 Forest, and along the Rhine below Schaffhausen, no town of importance whatever 

 is met with, the land capable of cultivation consisting but of a narrow strip lying 

 between the river and the foot of its wooded mountains. Walclshut (2,347 

 inhabitants), the most important town of that district, is situate on the Rhine, 

 opposite the mouth of the Aar. Lor rack (6,249 inhabitants), at the south-western 

 angle of the Black Forest, owes its importance to the vicinity of Basel, whose 

 capitalists have founded numerous spinning-mills in the valley of the Wiese, the 

 mouth of which it guards. A railway runs up the valley to the manufacturing 

 villages of Sehàpfheini (2,492 inhabitants), Hansen, and Zell (2,156 inhabitants). 

 Hebel, the Swabian poet, was a native of Hansen. 



The principal towns of the plain of Baden to the north of Basel are built at 



Fig. 114. — The Lake of Const anz (Constance) 

 Scale 1 : 610,000. 



10 Miles. 



the mouths of the valleys of the Schwarzwald, and not on the banks of the Rhine. 

 The first town which we reach by travelling along the ancient highway running 

 at the foot of the mountains is Mulheim (3,089 inhabitants), near which are 

 the mineral springs of Badeiin-eiler, already known to the Romans. We next 

 reach the famous city of Freiburg (30,595 inhabitants), the capital of the Breisgau, 

 a district named after the town of Breisach (3,212 inhabitants), built on a volcanic 

 rock opposite to the town of Neu Breisach, on the left bank of the Rhine, and 

 formerly known as one of the " Keys " of Germany. 



Freiburg has prospered no less in consequence of its favourable geographical 

 position than because of " privileges " granted to it. The route from the Danube 

 across the Black Forest debouches there upon the plain of the Rhine. The 

 Romans recognised the importance of this position by establishing one of their 



