in the field of historical geography by his Facsimile Atlas (1889) and Periplus (1897). The former contains reproductions of the most important geographical documents printed during the 15th and 16th centuries, and the latter, a work of far greater research, deals with the history of early cartography and the sailing charts in use among mariners during the middle ages. He died at Stockholm on the 12th of August 1901.
NORDERNEY (i.e. “northern island”), an island of Germany, in the North Sea, the largest of the East Friesland group, belonging to the Prussian province of Hanover. Pop. (1905) 3888. It is 8 m. long and about 112 m. broad, and supports a seafaring and fishing population. It is reached by steamer from Geestemünde, Emden, Bremen or Hamburg, and at low tide by road from the mainland. The village at the S.W. end of the island is one of the most popular sea-bathing places in Germany, and is visited annually by some 26,000 visitors. On the S. side rises a lighthouse 175 ft. high, while the E. end of the island is filled with sand dunes ranging in height from 50 to 75 ft. Norderney is immortalized by its association with Heinrich Heine’s Nordseebilder.
See Berenberg, Das Nordseebad Norderney (Norden, 1895); C. Herquet, Geschichte der Insel Norderney 1398–1711 (1890); and the article Frisian Islands.
NORDFJORD, an inlet of the west coast of Norway, penetrating the land for 50 m. in an easterly direction, its mouth being 115 m. by sea N. of Bergen (61° 50′ N.). No part of Norway affords finer scenery than the inner ramifications of this fjord among the snowy mountains of the northern Jostedalsbrae. Driving-roads penetrate the mountains from Visnaes eastward to the Gudbrandsdal, from Utvik southward to Vadheim on the Sogne Fjord, and from Faleide northward to Hellesylt (Geiranger Fjord) and Öje (Jorundsfjord). Nordfjordeid is a large village on the outer fjord, at the mouth of Hornindalen. Olden and Loen are other favourite centres on the inner part of the fjord. A small but powerful breed of horses is peculiar to the Nordfjord district.
NORDHAUSEN, a town of Germany, in the province of Prussian Saxony. It is situated on the Zorge at the south base of the Harz Mountains, and at the west end of the Goldene Aue (Golden Plain), a fruitful valley watered by the Helme, 60 m. by rail W. of Halle, on the main line to Frankfort-on-Main and Cassel, and at the junction of railways to Erfurt and Blankenheim. Pop. (1885) 27,083; (1905) 29,882. It is built partly on the slope of the mountains and partly on the plain, and the upper and lower parts of the town are connected by flights of steps. Among its eight churches the most noteworthy are the Roman Catholic cathedral, late Gothic with a Romanesque crypt, and the Protestant church of St Blasius, containing two pictures by Lucas Cranach. Near the medieval town hall stands a Roland’s column, the ancient symbol of free commercial intercourse and civic liberty. The town has a museum of antiquities and various public monuments, notably a fountain by Ernst Rietschel in the corn market, and another to Luther in the market square. There are statues of the emperor Frederick III. and of Prince Bismarck. The chief importance of the place arises from its distilleries, which annually yield about 10,000,000 gallons of “Korn Schnapps,” a spirit somewhat akin to whisky. The breweries are also important and there are manufactures of leather, tobacco and cigars, cotton, linen goods, carpets, chicory, malt and chemicals. Nordhausen is sometimes called the Cincinnati of Germany on account of its extensive export trade in pork, corned beef, ham and sausages. There is also a large trade in corn.
Nordhausen is one of the oldest towns in North Germany. It possessed a royal palace in 874 and a convent was founded here in 962. It was destroyed by Henry the Lion, duke of Saxony, in 1180, but was soon rebuilt and was made a free imperial town in 1253. In this and the following century several diets and other assemblies were held here. The protector (Vogt) of the town was the elector of Saxony and later for a few years (1702–1715) the elector of Brandenburg. Nordhausen accepted the reformed doctrines in 1522. It was annexed by Prussia in 1803 and again in 1815, having in the meantime belonged to the kingdom of Westphalia.
See Förstemann, Urkundliche Geschichte der Stadt Nordhausen bis 1250 (Nordhausen, 1828–1840) and Kleine Schriften zur Geschichte der Stadt Nordhausen (Nordhausen, 1855); Lesser, Historische Nachrichten von Nordhausen, edited by Förstemann (Nordhausen 1860); J. Schmidt, Bau- und Kunstdenkmäler der Stadt Nordhausen (Halle, 1886); T. Eckart, Gedenkblätter aus der Geschichte der ehemaligen freien Reichsstadt Nordhausen (Leipzig, 1895); Heine, Nordhausen und Preussen (Nordhausen, 1902); and Girschner, Lokalführer für Nordhausen und Umgebung (1891).
NORDICA, LILIAN (1859–), American operatic soprano, née Norton, was born at Farmington, Maine, and trained as a singer at Boston, and later at Milan. As Madame Nordica she made her operatic début at Brescia in 1879, and from that time took high rank among the prima donnas, appearing in all the principal capitals in Europe, and also in America.
NORDIN, CARL GUSTAF (1749–1812), Swedish statesman, historian and ecclesiastic. In 1774 he was made docent of Gothic antiquities at Upsala University in consequence of his remarkable treatise, Monumenta svia-gothica vetustioris aevi falso meritoque suspecta. Summoned to Stockholm in 1782 by Gustavus III. to edit a Swedish Corpus diplomaticum, half an hour’s private conversation with the young priest convinced Gustavus that Nordin’s proper place was by his side in the political arena. But he employed Nordin quite differently from his episcopal colleague Olaf Wallqvist. While the bishop publicly defended the royal measures, Nordin became the king’s private adviser. In politics Nordin was a royalist from pure conviction. To him a parliament seemed little better than a mob. He was one of the king’s secret managers during the troublesome and dangerous riksdag of 1789, but advised caution and compared the estate of clergy, which at one time held the balance between the jarring orders, to ice which might be walked upon but could not be driven over. He was appointed a member of an ecclesiastical commission for reforming the church in 1787, in which capacity he was virtually minister of public worship. In 1791–1792 he became a leading member of the financial and general committees of the riksdag. After the king’s death Nordin shared in the general disgrace of the Gustavians and lived in retirement at the little town of Hernösand, where he held the post of lector at the gymnasium. But he reappeared prominently on the political scene during the riksdag of 1800, and in 1805 was consecrated bishop of Hernösand. Though he lacked the brilliant qualities of his rival Wallqvist, Nordin had the same alertness and penetration, and was infinitely more stable and disinterested. One of the most learned men of his day, he devoted his spare time to history, and discovered that many of the oldest and most cherished Scandinavian MSS. were clever forgeries. Like Jean Hardouin he got to believe that a great deal of what is called classical literature was compiled by anonymous authors at a much later date, and he used frequently to startle his colleagues, the Gustavian academicians, by his audacious paradoxes.
He left behind him a colossal collection of MSS., the so-called Nordinska Samlingarna, which were purchased and presented to Upsala university by Charles XIV. and form the groundwork of the well-known Scriptores rerum Suecicarum medii aevi. Nordin published during his lifetime Handlingar till uplysning af svenska krigshistorien (Stockholm, 1787–1788). His academical addresses came out at Stockholm in 1818 under the title Minnen öfver namnkunniga svenska män. His Dagbok did not appear till 1868.
See Sveriges historia (Stockholm, 1877, &c.), vol. v.; C. T. Odhner, Sveriges politiska historia under Gustaf III.’s regering (Stockholm, 1885, &c.); R. N. Bain, Gustavus III. vol. 2 (London, 1896).
NÖRDLINGEN, a town of Germany, in the kingdom of Bavaria, on the Eger, 40 m. N. of Augsburg by rail and at the junction of lines to Buchloe and Dombühl. Pop. (1905) 8512. It was formerly a free imperial town, owning a territory 35 sq. m. in extent, and is still surrounded with walls and towers. The Evangelical church of St George is a Gothic structure erected in the 15th century and restored in 1880. It has paintings by Hans Schäufelein, who was a native of Nördlingen, and a tower 290 ft. high. The Late Gothic town hall has a collection of pictures and antiquities. The chief manufactures of the town
