Die königl. Mühlen/ The royal mills

  • Translation

Article ID EUD1359

Title

Die königl. Mühlen/ The royal mills

Description

View of the city of Berlin with the royal mills

Year

ca. 1840

Artist

Payne (1812-1902)

Albert Henry Payne (1812-1902) was an English engraver, painter, illustrator, and publisher. Payne came to Germany at a young age. From 1839 he worked as a steel engraver, painter and illustrator in Leipzig. In 1845 he founded the publishing house Englische Kunstanstalt with E. T. Brain, which he took over alone in 1846. It was one of the first printing companies to settle in the graphic quarter of Leipzig.

Historical Description

The name of the high medieval founding city of Berlin comes from the Old Polish word Birlin, Berlin, which means 'place in a marshy area'. The town of Kölln, located on the Spree Island, was first mentioned in a document in 1237. This was followed in 1244 by the first mention of (Old) Berlin, which lies on the northeastern bank of the Spree. In 1280, the first verifiable Mark Brandenburg Diet took place in Berlin. This points to an early top position, as can also be seen from the land book of Charles IV (1375), when Berlin is proven to be the city with the highest tax revenue together with Stendal, Prenzlau and Frankfurt/Oder. The two cities Berlin and Kölln got a common town hall in 1307. From the 14th century onwards, Berlin was a member of the Hanseatic League's trade association. In 1518, Berlin formally left or was excluded from the Hanseatic League. The Reformation was introduced in Berlin and Kölln in 1539 under Elector Joachim II, without any major disputes. Frederick William, known as the Great Elector, took over the reigns from his father in 1640. From 1641, the suburbs of Friedrichswerder, Dorotheenstadt and Friedrichstadt were founded. Under Frederick William, a policy of immigration and religious tolerance was cultivated. In 1671, 50 Jewish families from Austria were given a home in Berlin. With the Potsdam Edict of Tolerance in 1685, the Elector invited the French Huguenots to Brandenburg. Berlin gained the status of Prussian capital in 1701 with the coronation of Frederick I as King in Prussia, which was made official by the edict creating the Royal Residence of Berlin by merging the cities of Berlin, Kölln, Friedrichswerder, Dorotheenstadt and Friedrichstadt on January 17, 1709. Around 1800, the city developed into one of the centers of the German cultural landscape, which was expressed in the metropolitan civic culture known as "Berlin Classicism." Religious and social tolerance during this period made Berlin one of the most important cities of the Enlightenment in Europe. After Prussia's defeat by Napoleon's armies in 1806, King Frederick William III left Berlin for Königsberg. Authorities and wealthy families moved away from Berlin. French troops occupied the city from 1806 to 1808. Under the reformer Freiherr vom und zum Stein, the new Berlin City Code was adopted in 1808. The formation of a Berlin University, proposed by Wilhelm von Humboldt, played a significant role in the reforms of schools and scientific institutions. In the following decades until around 1850, new factories settled outside the city walls, where immigrants found employment as workers or day laborers. As a result, the number of inhabitants doubled due to immigration from the eastern parts of the country. Important companies such as Borsig, Siemens or AEG emerged and soon led to Berlin being considered an industrial city.

Place of Publication Dresden
Dimensions (cm)13,5 x 16,5
ConditionVery good
Coloringcolored
TechniqueSteel engraving

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