WURTTEMBEEG. 221 



distinct groups, according to the nature of the soil upon which they dwell. These 

 groups are determined by the granite and triassic sandstone of the Black Forest, 

 the shell limestone of the lower valleys, the variegated marls in the north, the 

 Jurassic rocks of the Rauhe Alp, and the alluvial lands beyond the Danube. As 

 these formations occur at varying heights, the districts in which they pre- 

 dominate naturally present differences of climate ; and climate and the nature 

 of the soil exercise a great influence upon the occupations and customs of the 

 inhabitants. The woodmen of the Black Forest, living in solitary log-huts, differ 

 strikingly from the peasants of the plain, who cultivate wheat and the vine, 

 and retire after the day's labour to their comfortable villages. At the same time 

 this geological classification of the inhabitants is far from precise, especially 

 when dealing with the populous districts in the north, which have been exposed to 

 a great variety of influences. No doubt the men and beasts, the cereals and fruits, 

 of the marly districts are superior to those of the rest of Swabia, but this appears to 

 be due to the mildness of the climate and a greater intermingling of races. At all 

 events it is an interesting fact in the history of humanity that this central district 

 of Wiirttemberg should have produced such men of mark in the world of thought 

 as were Kepler, Schiller, Schelling, and Hegel. On the other hand, there are 

 districts of AYurttemberg in which superstition is rife, and where ghost stories are 

 listened to even by men of some education. In no other part of Germany do new 

 religious sects gain an equal number of converts. 



Towns. 



Stuttgart (107,273 inhabitants), though not situate on the Neckar itself, occu- 

 pies a most favourable position in the very centre of Wiirttemberg. Its environs, 

 moreover, are delightful, and well deserve the epithet of " Swabian Paradise " 

 which has been bestowed upon them. Cannstadt (15,065 inhabitants), at the 

 head of the navigation of the Neckar, would perhaps have been a more favourable 

 site for the capital of the country, but virtually the two towns, hardly more than 

 a mile apart, are one, and lead a common life. No other town of Germany has 

 increased in population at a more rapid rate, for it is hardly a century since 

 Stuttgart had only 20,000 inhabitants. The " old town," with its tortuous streets, 

 still occupies the centre of the modern city, but forms only a small part of it. 

 The number of elegant mansions is large in every part of the town, and amongst 

 the statues which ornament its public squares there are several which deservedly 

 rank as works of art. Though not a university city, Stuttgart possesses a library 

 of 350,000 volumes, a natural-history museum, a gallery of paintings, and many 

 other collections. Music is much cultivated, and the manufacture. of pianos is of 

 considerable importance, as is also the publishing trade. 



The royal park, barracks, and other buildings extend to the north-east of Stutt- 

 gart in the direction of Cannstadt. That town, too, boasts of many fine build- 

 ings and villas, and its ferruginous springs annually attract thousands of visitors. 

 As to Ludwigsburg (14,709 inhabitants), in the plain to the north of the capital, it 



