EILENBURG

eilenburg, a town of germany, in the prussian province of saxony, on an island formed by the mulde, 31 m. e. from halle, at the junction of the railways halle-cottbus and leipzig-eilenburg. pop. (1905) 15,145. there are three churches, two evangelical and one roman catholic. the industries of the town include the manufacture of chemicals, cloth, quilting, calico, cigars and agricultural implements, bleaching, dyeing, basket-making, carriage-building and trade in cattle. in the neighbourhood is the iron foundry of erwinhof. opposite the town, on the steep left bank of the mulde, is the castle from which it derives its name, the original seat of the noble family of eulenburg. this castle (ilburg) is mentioned in records of the reigns of henry the fowler as an important outpost against the sorbs and wends. the town itself, originally called mildenau, is of great antiquity. it is first mentioned as a town in 981, when it belonged to the house of wettin and was the chief town of the east mark. in 1386 it was incorporated in the margraviate of meissen. in 1815 it passed to prussia. see gundermann, _chronik der stadt eilenburg_ (eilenburg, 1879).