SALZWEDEL, an ancient town of Prussian Saxony, lies on the Jeetze, a tributary of the Elbe, 32 miles to the north-west of Stendal. It is an industrial place of some importance, with linen, cotton, and woollen manufactures, carries on a brisk river trade in grain, and possesses a fine Gothic church of the 13th century. But its chief claim to notice lies in the fact that it was for about a century (c . 1070-1170) the capital of the Old or North Mark (also for a time called the “Mark of Soltwedel ”), the kernel of the Prussian state. The old castle, perhaps founded by Charlemagne, was purchased in 1864 by the king of Prussia, anxious to preserve this interesting relic. Salzwedel was also a member of the Hanseatic League, and at the beginning of the 16th century seems to have engrossed great part of the inland commerce of North Germany. The population in 1880 was 8780.