MEININGEN  , a

town of Germany, capital of the duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, romantically situated in forests on the right bank of the Werra, 40 M . S. of Eisenach by rail . Pop . (1905), 15,989 . It consists of an old town and several handsome suburbs, but much of the former has been rebuilt since a fire in 1874 . The chief building is the Elisabethenburg, or the old ducal palace, containing several collections; it was built mainly about 168o, although part of it is much older . Other buildings are the Henneberger Hans with a collection of antiquities, and the town church, with twin towers, built by the emperor Henry II. in the 11th century . The theatre enjoyed for many years (1875–1890) a European reputation for its actors and scenic effects . The English garden, a beautiful public park, contains the ducal mortuary chapel and several monuments, including busts of Brahms and Jean Paul Richter . Meiningen, which was subject to the bishops of Wtirzburg (1000–1542), came into the possession of the duke of Saxony in 1583, having in the meantime belonged to the counts of Henneberg . At the partition of 166o it fell to the share of Saxe-Altenburg, and in 168o became the capital of Saxe-Meiningen . See E .

Dobner, Bausteine zu einer Geschichte der Stadt Meiningen (Meiningen, 1902) . See Bacher, A gada der Tannaiten, vol . 11. ch. i . ;

Graetz, History of the Jews (Eng. trans.), vol . 11. ch. xvi . ; Jewish Encyclopedia (whence some of the above cited sayings are quoted), viii . 432-435 . On Meir's place in the history of the fable, see J . Jacobs, The Fables of Aesop, i . 111, &c . (see Index s.v.) . (I .

A.)-'v .