BAVARIA. 245 



Pfalz), is the only town of importance in the valley of the Naab, The banks of 

 the Danube are more densely peopled than that valley. Sfra/tbiiig (11,590 inha- 

 bitants), the native town of Frannhofer, and an important corn market, rises on the 

 right bank. Dcggendorf (G,744 inhabitants), on the opposite bank, is the principal 

 market-place resorted to by the inhabitants of the Bavarian Forest. It lies nearly 

 opposite the mouth of the Isar, a torrential river which frequently overflows its 

 banks. The turgid floods of the Inn join the transparent water lower down, and 

 a town of historical importance has arisen on the peninsula formed by the con- 

 fluence of the two rivers. A second river, the Ilz, joins the Danube from the 

 north. On the spot now occupied by the German city of Passau stood the Batava 

 Castra of the Romans, whilst the suburb of Innstadt marks the site of the Celtic 

 town of Boiodurum. Passau, ever since the eighth century, has been a bulwark 

 of Christianity against Avars and Turks. It was the Bishops of Passau who 

 founded churches and villages along the banks of the Danube as far as Hungary, 

 but their residence never attained the commercial importance of either Ratisbon 

 or Niirnberg. Even had a freer development been possible under the somewhat 

 severe rules of these bishops, the paucity of population in the hilly country around 

 the town must have stunted its growth. Passau is a frontier town between Bavaria 

 and Austria. 



Munich, ov Mihicheii (212,376 inhabitants), the capital of the country, occupies a 

 site which can hardly be said to possess any natural advantages. The underground 

 channels of the Isar produce dampness, extensive swamps occupy a portion of the 

 neighbouring plain, and no jmrt of that plain is fertile. The river which flows 

 past Munich is hardly more than a torrent, only fit to float timber ; the climate is 

 rude and humid ; and the monotony of the surrounding country is relieved only by 

 a distant view of the Alps and a few patches of forest. Any other site selected for 

 a capital on the plateau of Bavaria would have answered as well, for the existing 

 town owes no facilities of access to natural highways. The caprice of Duke Henry 

 the Lion in 115G converted a small village into the capital of the country, and the 

 merchants of Southern Germany soon found their way to the nascent city. Still 

 its population increased slowly. In 1580 it only had 20,000 inhabitants, in 1801 

 40,000, but since that time the facilities of access presented by railways have 

 caused it to rise rapidly, and it has become one of the most populous towns of 

 Germany, and its leading corn mart. It is also one of those cities which attract a 

 large number of visitors, desirous of inspecting its museums and galleries. 



Ludwig I. and his son Maximilian have converted Munich into a sort of 

 architectural museum, where buildings representing all styles and ages can be seen. 

 In the new quarters of the town we can study the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian 

 orders. An Italian basilica, in the style of the sixth century, rises near the 

 " Propylaea," erected to commemorate Hellenic independence. An imitation of 

 Constantine's Arch terminates one of the wide avenues in the northern part of the 

 town. A Gothic steeple rises in the suburb of Au. The new Royal Palace recalls 

 that of Pitti at Florence, whilst the neighbouring gallery reminds us of the 

 Loggia dei Lanzi. Numerous buildings have been erected in a composite style, 



