GUMBINNEN

gumbinnen, a town of germany, in the prussian province of east prussia, on the pissa, an affluent of the pregel, 22 m. by rail s.w. of eydtkuhnen on the line to konigsberg. pop. (1905), 14,194. the surrounding country is pleasant and fruitful, and the town has spacious and regular streets shaded by linden trees. it has a roman catholic and three evangelical churches, a synagogue, a gymnasium, two public schools, a public library, a hospital and an infirmary. in the market square there is a statue of the king of prussia frederick william i., who in 1724 raised gumbinnen to the rank of a town, and in 1732 brought to it a number of persons who had been driven from salzburg by religious persecution. on the bridge over the pissa a monument has been erected to the soldiers from the neighbourhood who fell in the franco-german war of 1870-71. iron founding and the manufacture of machinery, wool, cotton, and linen weaving, stocking-making, tanning, brewing and distilling are the principal industries. there are horse and cattle markets, and some trade in corn and linseed. see j. schneider, _aus gumbinnens vergangenheit_ (gumbinnen, 1904).