The American Cyclopædia (1879)/Germersheim

GERMERSHEIM, a fortified town of Rhenish Bavaria, at the confluence of the Queich and the Rhine, 7 m. S. W. of Spire; pop. in 1871, 6,223. It has several churches and schools, and an active trade in grain, hemp, flax, and fruits. Ship building and fisheries are carried on, and gold is washed from the sands of the Rhine. Originally a Roman stronghold, the present town was founded by the emperor Rudolph of Hapsburg, who died here in 1291. It formed part of the electoral Palatinate from 1330 to 1622, when it was conquered by Austria. From 1644 to 1650 it was occupied by the French, who retook and devastated the place in 1674 under Turenne. After the death of the elector Charles (1685), the French again claimed possession, whence arose the Germersheim war of succession, which came partly to an end through the treaty of Ryswick (1697), and finally through the arbitration of the pope (1702). It was subsequently the scene of important military operations up to July, 1793, when the French were here defeated by the Austrians. Germersheim having been made a fortress of the German confederation, works have been in progress since 1835, forming together with the fortress of Landau, distant 10m., and with a tête-de-pont on the right bank of the Rhine, a strong strategical position.