BRESLAU, a city of Prussia, capital of the government of Silesia, is situated mainly on the left but partly also on the right bank of the Oder, at the influx of the Ohlau, and on the railway from Berlin to Vienna, 190 miles S.E. of the former city. The latitude of the observatory is 51° 6' 56" N., and its longitude 17° 2' 18" E. The city consists of a new and an old town, and a number of extensive suburbs stretching out in all directions. The fortifications, which were dismantled shortly after 1813, have given place to beautiful promenades; and even in the older parts of the town, where the streets are generally narrow, there are several open spaces of considerable area. The old cathedral (founded in the 12th century, and recently restored), the Catholic church of the Holy Cross, the Protestant church of St Elizabeth—with its lofty tower, the Jewish synagogue, and the bishop’s palace are the principal ecclesiastical buildings. The Pathhaus (a fine specimen of the architecture of the 14th century), the townhouse (of quite recent erection), the royal palace (now used as the Government buildings), the chamber of the states, the exchange, the barracks, the theatre, the post-office, and the new court-house and prison are the more important of the secular structures. At the head of the educational institutions for which Breslau is celebrated stands the university, which was founded in 1702 by Leopold I. as a Jesuit college, and was greatly extended by the incorporation of the university of Frankfort-on-Oder in 1811. Its library contains upwards of 300,000 volumes; and among its auxiliary establishments are botanic gardens, an observatory, an anatomical and an antiquarian museum. In 1873 its professors and teachers numbered 103, and its students 962, the majority in the ...