ESCHWEGE

eschwege, a town of germany, in the prussian province of hesse-nassau, on the werra, and the railway treysa-leinefelde, 28 m. s.e. of cassel. pop. (1905) 11,113. it consists of the old town on the left, the new town on the right, bank of the werra, and bruckenhausen on a small island connected with the old and new town by bridges. it is a thriving manufacturing town, its chief industries being leather-making, yarn-spinning, cotton- and linen-weaving, the manufactures of cigars, brushes, liquors and oil, and glue- and soap-boiling. it has two ancient buildings, the nikolai-turm, built in 1455, and the old castle. after being part of thuringia, eschwege passed to hesse in 1263. it was recovered by the landgrave of thuringia in 1388, but soon reverted to hesse, and it became the residence of one of the branches of the hessian royal house, a branch which died out in 1655.