BARMEN, a town of Rhenish Prussia, in the government of Dusseldorf and circle of Elberfeld, on the BergischMarkisch railway. It is formed by the combination of a large number of separate villages, which stretch along the northern valley of the-Wupper for a distance of six miles in almost perfect continuity with Elberfeld. The first of these to obtain a separate civic organization was Gemarke, which may thus be regarded as the nucleus of the whole. The rapid development of manufacturing activity, to which the town owes its origin, only dates from the beginning of the 18th century. It is the chief seat of ribbon-weaving in Germany, and manufactures thread, lace, buttons, braids, cotton, cloth, silk stuffs, steel wares, and plated goods. There are also numerous bleachfields, printfields, dyeworks, - famous for their Turkey-red, - soap-works, chemical-works, and potteries. A chamber of commerce and a commercial tribunal hold their sessions in the town, which also possesses an exchange, a music hall, a deaf and dumb asylum, numerous schools, and a variety of churches. The most of the inhabitants are Protestants of various sects. The Rhenish-Westphalian Missionary Society maintains a theological seminary in the town and p2ssesses an ethnographical museum. Population, 74,449. .