the Guelfs and Habsburgs were pleased to look down upon as parvenu.
During the Thirty Years' war, in which Brandenburg played such a
pitiable part, Berlin was on the verge of extinction. By 1640 its
population had been reduced to 6000. Even the great elector, passing
his life in warfare, could do but little for his capital. His
successor, Frederick I., the first _king_ of the Prussians, was
more fortunate. To him the city is indebted for most of its present
features. He was the originator of the Friederichsstadt, the
Friederichsstrasse, the Dorotheenstadt,[2] the continuation of the
Linden to the Thiergarten, the arsenal, and the final shaping of the
old castle. In 1712 the population was 61,000. The wars of Frederick
the Great, brought to a triumphal issue, made Berlin more and more a
centre of trade and industry. To all who could look beyond the clouds
of political controversy and prejudice it was evident that Berlin was
destined to become the leading city of North Germany and the worthy
rival of Vienna. Even the humiliation of Jena and the subsequent
occupation by Napoleon were only transitory. Berlin, not being a
fortified city, was spared at least the misery of a siege. After the
downfall of Napoleon, Prussia and its capital resumed their mission of
absorption and expansion. The "Customs Union" accelerated the pace. In
1862 the population was 480,000; in 1867, 702,437; in 1871, 826,341.
At present it is in excess of Vienna. The Austrian and French wars
have given to its growth an almost feverish impulse.

[Footnote 2: The Friederichsstadt and Dorotheenstadt are those parts
of the town with which the tourist is most familiar as places of
residence and shopping; Cöln is the island on which stand the castle
and the two museums; Old Berlin is the part beyond the Spree.]

A comparison of Berlin and Vienna in their present state will suggest