Prussian Urmesstischblätter: Hand-Drawn Topographic Maps at 1:25,000 Scale

Prussian Urmesstischblätter are hand-drawn, one-off topographic maps produced starting in 1822 for the entire territory of Prussia. The Bundesamt für Kartographie und Geodäsie provides these maps, which were created on a scale of 1:25,000 and mark the beginning of modern topographic cartography. The specific sheet 3046 Zehdenick is dated around 1825.

Use Cases

• Analyzing historical land use and settlement patterns based on the hand-drawn topographic features.
• Studying the evolution of cartographic design and standards based on the 1821 Royal Prussian General Staff instructions.
• Georeferencing and comparing historical landscapes with modern maps based on the precise 1:25,000 scale.

Strengths

• Maps are hand-drawn originals, providing a unique historical artifact from the start of systematic topographic cartography.
• Produced at a detailed 1:25,000 scale, offering high resolution for the period.
• Some individual sheets have been reworked in color to more closely resemble the original hand-drawn state.

Limitations

• Last updated 1825-01-01 00:00:00; freshness should be verified.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality and file specifics require manual inspection after download.
• Row count and column-level documentation are absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.

Provenance

Source

Bundesamt für Kartographie und Geodäsie

Collection Method

Hand-drawn cartographic surveys conducted by the Royal Prussian General Staff.

Time Range

Production began in 1822; this specific sheet is from circa 1825.

Freshness

Data reflects the historical period of creation, circa 1825.

Geography

Territory of Prussia, specifically the area around Zehdenick (sheet 3046).