summer rendezvous of tourists. Dresden is the starting-point for excursions to this interesting region, whence the most attractive localities may be reached by railway or by steamer. The best plan is to go by railway and return by steamer, descending the Elbe.

The most interesting points are: the Bastei, the Kuhstall, the Grosse-Winterberg, the Prebisch Thor, and Königstein. Inns and hotels are found everywhere. The Porsberg, near Pillnitz; the Lilienstein, the Burenstein, and the Papststein, are also much visited.

Guides are found at the various stopping places, who are paid 4 marks per day; 2 marks for half a day. Horses, carriages, and ponies may be hired at all the principal places.

On the railway, stoppages are made at the following stations: Pirna, Potzscha, Rathen, Königstein, Schandau, and Herrnskretschen; these stations are upon the line from Dresden to Prague. The steamboats stop at the following places: Loschwitz, Pillnitz, Pirna, Wehlen, Rathen, Königstein, Schandau, Herrnskretschen, Medergrund, and Tetschen. Two days are required to see all of the most interesting places, and they may be best seen in the following

manner:

From Wehlen, the route lies through the Grund, a rude ravine, enclosed between two woody mountains; and upon leaving the ravine by the road to the right, the Bastei is reached in ten minutes. There is an inn close to the Bastei.

The Bastei, 760 ft. above the Elbe, the most interesting point of Saxon Switzerland, is a precipitous rock, terminating in several peaked summits. A tower has been erected upon the platform, whence one of the most extensive views of the Elbe and

the bordering country may be obtained.

Russell says of it: "The prospect is, of its kind, unique in Europe. You hover on a pinnacle, at an elevation of 600 ft. above the Elbe, which sweeps round the bottom of the precipice. Behind, and up along the winding river, on the same bank, rise similar precipitous cliffs. . The striking feature is, that in the bosom of this amphitheatre -a plain of the most varied beauty huge columnar hills start up at once from the ground, at a great distance from each other, overlooking, in lonely and solemn grandeur, each its own portion of the domain. The most remarkable of them are the Lilienstein and Konigstein, which, nearly in the centre of the picture, tower 900 ft. above the Elbe."

From the Bastei, in half an hour, Rathen, a town on the left bank of the Elbe, opposite the railway station, may be reached. The road descends by a stone bridge, which clears the points of the rock, and from which the tourist looks down the precipice beneath him. Arrived in the valley, he bears to the left, through the Amselgrund towards Rathewalde.

The road on the right leads to Hohnstein.

From Hohnstein, the ascent is made to the Brand, a rock like that of the Bastei, whence also a charming view is obtained. Descending from the summit by a ravine, and partly by steps, the high road from Hohnstein to Schandau is reached. From this point the banks of the Elbe are reached in three-quarters of an hour, and in twenty minutes more, Schandau, a small town on the Elbe, and on the Bohemian frontier (Hotel: Forsthaus).

Mules may be hired at Schandau

for excursions to the Kuhstall, to the Kleine Winterberg, to the Grosse-Winterberg, to the Prebisch Thor.

The Kuhstall (1,060 ft.) presents the form of a door pierced through the rock, 23 ft. high, from which we look down into the deep ravine called Habichtsgrund. This place served, during the Thirty Years' War, as a refuge for the cattle, and it is thought that from this circumstance it derived its name, which means "Cow stall."

The descent is made to remount anew, in the first place, the little Winterberg, 1,640 ft., and afterwards, the great Winterberg, 1,883 ft. From the summit can be seen the mountains of Saxony, Bohemia, and Silesia.

An hour will suffice to take the

tourist from this point to the Prebisch Thor (1,440 ft.), similar in formation to the Kuhstall, where there is a magnificent view.

Hence to Herrnskretschen, where steamer is taken to KÖNIGSTEIN, a small town situated at the foot of the rock which is occupied by the fortress of the

here to Frederick the Great. The French formed around its base in 1813 an entrenched camp. There is a fine view from the summit.

From Königstein, the valley of Bielagrund, interesting for its geological formation, may be visited; the Schweizermuhle, and the villages of Eilund and Schneeberg, from which last may be undertaken (with a guide) the ascent of the Schneeberg (2,415 feet).

ROUTE 132.

BERLIN TO HAMBURG.

175 miles; 1st class (express), 27 m. 20 pf.; 2nd, 20 m. 10 pf.

EAVING Berlin we proceed by the park of Charlottenburg, and crossing the Spree and the Havel, reach SPANDAU (4 miles), (Hotel: Adler). It is a fortified town, situated at the confluence of the above-named rivers, and is, so to speak, the citadel of Berlin. Its industry is very extensive. It contains cannon and other foundries, military store-houses, a powder-mill, a manufactory of small arms, laboratories for the artillery, &c.

The Church of St Nicholas, of the 14th century, possesses many interesting tombs. The Finkenkrug, in the environs of the town, is a favourite promenade.

At WITTENBERGE (74 miles), the line from Magdeburg falls in, crossing the river by a long bridge. Beyond Wendisch-Warnow (833 miles), we enter the Grand Duchy of MechlenbergSchwerin, and shortly afterwards reach

LUDWIGSLUST (733 miles), the summer residence of the Grand Duke (Hotel Hotel de Weimar). The Chateau contains a picture gallery, and a collection of antiquities. The park affords agreeable promenades. In the Russian Chapel is the tomb of the Grand Duchess Helena. Passing HAGENOW (116 miles), where there is a branch to Schwerin and Rostock, we reach Boitzenburg (1341 miles), beyond which we enter the Duchy of Lauenburg, and crossing the Stecknitz, arrive at BUCHEN (144 miles). From hence a branch line goes to LUBECK (see Route 130). Passing several unimportant places we then reach

BERGEDORF (162 miles), a town formerly belonging in common to Hamburg and Lubeck. The district is called Vierlande. The costumes of the peasantry are very striking. The next station is HAMBURG (see Route 129).

ROUTE 133.

BERLIN TO STETTIN AND DANTZIG.

Fares to Stettin, 83 miles, 1st class, 13.50; 2nd, 10.

HE first station after leaving Berlin is BERNAU (14 miles), noted for the defence it made against the Hussites in the fifteenth century. NEUSTADT EBERSWALDE (28 miles) is a manufacturing town, situated on the Finow Canal. The environs are delightful. Some distance beyond Neustadt, near Chorin, we see the remains of the ancient Abbey of the Cistercians, now an hotel. We next reach ANGERMUNDE, near which the line skirts the

lake of Paarstein. Proceeding along embankments through the valleys of the Randow and the Welse, and the marsh of Pommerenzdorf, we pass Passow (56 miles), and near Tantow (70 miles) we observe, on the right, the lake called Dammsche See. Afterwards, crossing the fortifications, we enter STETTIN (84 miles), (Hotels: see "HOTEL LIST"). It is situated on the left bank of the Oder, and is connected with the suburb of Lastadie, on the right bank, by four bridges. It is a fortress, and the capital of the province of Pomerania, and the chief commercial port of Prussia. The Castle is of the sixteenth century. The court contains a bronze statue of the Great Elector of Brandenburg. From the tower there is an extensive view. The Hotel de Ville is of the thirteenth century. Opposite this building is the Bourse. In the Konigsplatz are marble statues of Frederick the Great and Frederick William III.

The out-port of Stettin is SWINEMUNDE, on the left bank of the Swine, one of the three mouths of the Oder, where the depth of water is sufficient for the largest ships. It is a muchfrequented bathing-place (Hotels: Drei Kronen, de Prusse).

From Berlin to Dantzig, via Stettin, is 312 miles. Fares, 41 m. 10 pf., and 30 m. 70 pf. A more direct route is via Dirshau, which is 27 miles shorter (see page 521). Dantzig (Hotels: Englischer Haus, Hotel du Nord) is one of the most important commercial and seaport towns in Germany, owing to its situation at the mouth of the Vistula, down' which the Polish cereal products come for ocean shipment. The immense storehouses on the Spacheninsel can contain 2 million bushels. The town of Dantzig is of very early origin,

and the appearance of the streets, with their overhanging and richly decorated gables, is still very quaint. The principal places of interest are the Rathaus, which dates from the 14th century; the Exchange or Innkerhof, built in 1552; the Old Arsenal; and the Church of St Mary, a beautiful Gothic building of the 15th century.

ROUTE 134.

BERLIN TO DRESDEN.

NEW AND DIRECT ROUTE.

108 miles; time, 3 hours, 50 min. Fares, 1st, 14 m.; 2nd, 10 m. 50.

HIS route passes no towns of importance. Luckau, 45 miles; Kirchain, 64 miles (branch to Halle). Elsterwerda, 76 miles (branch to Riesa), and Grossenhain, 88 miles, a cloth manufacturing town, are the principal stations on the route. DRESDEN is described in Route 130.

ROUTE 135.

BERLIN ΤΟ FRANKFORTON-THE-MAIN (BY EISENACH).

(335 miles; 1st class, 49; 2d, 36.40; 3d, 25.50).

HE route goes by Juterbogk (40 miles), and WITTENBERG (60 miles) (Hotel: Ludwig). It is situated on the Elbe. Here it was that the great Re

The

former, Martin Luther, some time a monk, and afterwards a professor of theology at the once famous University of Wittenberg, posted up his 95 theses in opposition to the pretensions of the Roman Catholic Church, and here he burnt the Papal Bull He was which condemned him. buried, in 1546, in the Schlosskirche, which also contains the tombs of his supporter, Melancthon, and of Frederick the Wise and John the Steadfast, Electors of Saxony and his friends. ancient doors of the Schlosskirche, to which Luther affixed his theses, were burnt during the bombardment of the town by the Austrians in 1760, and were replaced in 1858 by others of bronze, on which are engraved the subjects of his various theses. The Town Church contains two paintings by Cranach representing the preaching of Luther, and baptismal fonts executed by Hermann Vischer. The ancient convent of the Augustines, in which Luther was a monk, and which was afterwards the University, is now a Protestant Seminary. Visitors are shown his cell, and various articles that belonged to him. His house is now attached to the school. Near it is an oak, planted on the site of that under which he burnt the Pope's Bull. The Rathhaus contains his portrait and those of other Reformers, by Cranach. His statue by Schadow, is in the Market-place. On the pedestal are the famous lines of Luther:

"Ist's Gottes werk so wird's bestehen; Ist's menschenwerk, wird's untergehen."

(If it be God's work it will last;
If only man's, 't will soon be past).

Leaving on the right the Anhalt line, we cross the Elbe over a bridge of twelve arches, and spasing Dessau (82 miles), in the

Ducal Palace of which there is a cabinet of antiquities, some manuscripts of Luther, &c., we reach KOTHEN (95 miles). From hence to HALLE (105 miles), see Route 130.

Leaving Halle we cross the Elster and Saale near their confluence, and arrive at Merseburg (114 miles). The Cathedral, of the 13th century, has a richly ornamental portal, some paintings by Cranach and Albert Durer, and a monument of the Emperor Rudolph of Suabia. At CORBETHA (120 miles), the line from Leipsic falls in.

WEISSENFELS (127 miles) is situated on the Saale, and has a fine port. The body of Gustavus Adolphus, who fell at the battle of Lutzen, was brought here and embalmed in one of the chambers of the Amsthaus; part of the wall, marked with his blood, is still to be seen. The ancient castle is converted into a barrack. A little west of the station, near the railway, is a little house marked with an N., in which Napoleon passed the first night after the battle of Leipsic. We see on the right the Chateau de Gesoek, and the Tour de Schoenburg, before reaching

NAUMBURG (133 miles), (Hotel: Sachsischer Hof), situated on the Saale, and surrounded by hills planted with vineyards. The Cathedral, completed in 1249, is a mixture of the Romanesque and Gothic styles. The pillars of the choir are adorned with sculptures, and there is a hand-ome rood screen. In the Stadt-kirche is a painting by Cranach, "Christ Blessing Little Children." Leaving Naumburg, we see, on the left, the village of SCHULPORTA, containing a school at which Klopstock, Lessing, and Fichte were educated. We several times cross the Saale, which flows

through a picturesque defile celebrated in the military annals of 1806 and 1813. At KESEN (138 miles) are some salt works and baths; on the left are the ruins of Rudelsburg; further off, the towers of Saaleck. About 4 miles from Stadtsulza (143 miles) is Auerstadt, and the field of battle of Jena, where Napoleon defeated the Prussians, 14th October, 1806. The most convenient point on the railway from which to visit the battle-field is Apolda, the station five miles farther on.

WEIMAR (160 miles) (Hotel: Erbprinz), situated on the Ilm. It is the residence of the Grand Duke of Saxe Weimar, and derives its great celebrity from the number of illustrious writers who have lived and died there. It has been called the "Necropolis of the poets of Germany Goethe, Herder, Wieland, Schiller, have all resided here. The houses of the two first and of the last are still to be seen. There are statues of them, and another of Charles Augustus, who was Grand Duke in their time. In the Stadt-kirche is a painting of the Crucifixion by Cranach, portraits of Cranach, Luther, and Melancthon, the tomb of Herder, and the statue of L. Cranach. The Residenz Schloss is handsomely decorated; the apartments dedicated to the four authors above named, are adorned with frescoes illustrating their works. Admission, 1m. 50 pf. Goethe's house, in the Goethe Platz, is shown on Fridays. It contains most of the furniture which it contained at the time of his death. Schiller's house is in Schiller Strasse, open daily. In the Castle Park, on the bank of the Ilm, to the southward, Goethe's country house is seen.

ERFURT (174 miles), (Hotel : Silber's). A very old town, once