STOLBERG  , a

town of Germany, in the Prussian Rhine Province, situated on the Vichtbach, 7 M . E. of Aix-la-Chapelle, on the main line of railway to Cologne . Pop . (1905), 14,963 . It contains two Protestant and two Roman Catholic churches, a castle occupying the site of one said to have been used by Charlemagne as a hunting seat . It is the centre of a very active and varied industry, exporting its produce to all parts of the world . The leading branch is metal-working, which is here carried on in important zinc, brass, and iron foundries, smelting-works of various kinds, puddling and rolling works, and manufactories of needles, pins and other metal goods . The ore is mostly found in the mines around the town, but some is imported from a considerable distance . In or near the town there are also large chemical works, glass-works, a mirror-factory and various minor establishments . Extensive coal-mines in the neighbourhood provide the enormous supply of fuel demanded by the various industries . The industrial prosperity of the town was founded in the middle of the 17th century by French religious refugees, who introduced the art of brass-founding .