Mulhouse [key], Ger. Mülhausen, city (1990 pop. 109,905), Haut-Rhin dept., E France, in Alsace, on the Ill River and the Rhône-Rhine canal. Cotton, wool, and clothing are the chief manufactures; machinery, chemicals, automobile parts, and steel pipes are also produced. Nearby are the only important potash mines in W Europe. The city shares an international airport with Basel, Switzerland. Mulhouse became a free imperial city in the 13th cent. In 1515 it became an allied member (but not a canton) of the Swiss Confederation, and in 1586 it became a neutral republic. In 1798, Mulhouse voted to unite with France. After the Franco-Prussian War (1871), the city was made a part of Germany until 1918. Mulhouse has a 16th-century town hall and several narrow, winding streets and old houses.
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