KAISERSLAUTERN, the chief town of a circle in the government district of Rheinpfalz, Bavaria, is situated on the Lauter, in the hilly district of Westrich, about 40 miles west of Mannheim, and is one of the most important industrial towns of the Palatinate. It is the seat of the usual official bureaus, and counts among its educational institutions a gymnasium, a Protestant normal school, a com-, mercial school, and an industrial museum. There are several churches, of which one owes its first foundation to Frederick Barbarossa, a hospital, and a large fruit-market. The house of correction occupies the site of Barbarossa’s castle, built in 1153, and demolished by the French in 1713. The industries include cotton and wool spinning and weaving, iron-founding, and the manufacture of beer, tobacco, and numerous other articles. There is some trade in fruit and in timber. Population in 1875, 22,699.

Kaiserslautern takes its name from the emperor (Kaiser) Frederick I., who presented to the place a wood worth 50,000 marks annually. In 1276 it became a town, and in 1357 passed to the Palatinate. In 1621 it was taken by the Spanish, in 1631 by the Swedish, in 1635 by the imperial, and in 1713 by the French troops. During 1793 and 1794 it was the scene of active fighting; and in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870 it was the base of operations of thé second German army, under Prince Frederick Charles. It was one of the early stations of the Reformation, and in 1849 was a focus for the revolutionary spirit in the Palatinate.