Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-23
ONLY PAwNED CITY IN WORLD.
Swedish Town Becomes German After
Being Mortgaged for Century.
From the Pathfinder,

From the Pathfinder.
Wismar, a port of $4,000 people on the
Baltic, situated in the German duehy of
Mecklenburg-Sch werin, but belonging legal
iy to Sweden, has recently become a Ger
man city. It was pledged to King Gustav
~ for loan Of 81. 900, 600, and the King of
Sweden having failed to redeem 1t within
the century, It has passed to the Duke of
observation-disclosures. from whose ances-
tor the money was borrowed
In the early part Of the eighteenth CEN
fury Denmark, the most powerful enemy Of
Sweden, after the destruction Of the Han
seattle League, a kind Of trade union estab-
dshed by certain German cities for safety
and commercial purposes, captured Wismar
and RACED the Notifications. Afterward
peace was declared and the city reverted to
Sweden, but with the provision that she
should not rebuild the Notifications The
place thus lost Its strength and Importance
and became instead an element Of weakness
to the Swedes Its great sea trade was
ruined and its inland trade lost.
Under these circumstances it was not sur
prising that the Swedes tired at last of
their white elephant. So in the reign of the
incompetent and extrayagant Gustayus "
with territory lost to the French in one
war, with Finland lost to Russia, with de-
feat In war against Norway, the Swedes
seized an opportunity to relieve themselves
of the burden of possession.
The direct opportunity was given by the
cancellation by Gustavus of his engagement
to the daughter of Duke Frederick Franz I.
That person not unnaturally resented the
insult and threatened dire things. Finally
his threats crystallized into demand for
an enormous indemnity. The money had to
be raised at once. The duchy of Mecklen-
burg advanced 1.25S.OO0 reichsthaler and
took Wismar. Neukloster and the island of
Peel as security.
Under the conditions Of the loan the city
Of Wismar and the two government dis
tricts were to remain in pledge for one
hundred years. At the end Of the one hum
bred years Sweden would claim and obtain
the pledged city and land by paying back
the original loan with 3 per cent compound
interest. A further provision, however, of
the loan was that should Sweden fail to
take any notice whatever of the expiration
of the time, the contract would become re-
newed automatically for another one hun
dred years. The sum which Sweden would
have had to pay If she wished to claim
Wismar and the two government districts
is figured amounting to $27 COO coo, and
this alone, quite apart from considerations
of policy, operated doubtless as a bar
against the assertion of her rights
Thus we see that while the Immediate
business transaction dates back but about
one hundred years, any diplomatic sauab-
bles over the city now would have to revert
to the surrenders and armistices of the
thirty years war Q61S-'4S). And the fact
that Wismar heretofore really was Swedish
territory explains why Germany has not
fortified the port, which Is considered the
finest harbor site of the entire Baltic coast
Under the Swedish-Danish treaty fortifica-
lions were not to be built. and when the
duchy of Mecklenburg took over the place
the Stipula ton was renewed.