The Prussian Urmesstischblätter are hand-drawn, one-off topographic maps produced from 1822 for the entire territory of Prussia. They were created on a scale of 1:25,000 and served as the foundational basis for smaller-scale maps. The Bundesamt für Kartographie und Geodäsie provides these sheets, which mark the beginning of modern topographic cartography.
Use Cases
- Analyzing historical land use and settlement patterns based on the hand-drawn topographic features.
- Training computer vision models for historical document analysis based on the map imagery.
- Studying the evolution of cartographic design and standards based on the foundational map series.
- Georeferencing and comparing historical landscapes with modern maps based on the detailed 1:25,000 scale.
Strengths
- Maps were produced at a detailed 1:25,000 scale.
- The series marks the documented beginning of modern topographic cartography.
- Some individual sheets have been reworked to be more similar to the original color scheme.
Limitations
- Last updated 1840-01-01 00:00:00; freshness should be verified.
- Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
- Row count and specific file formats are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
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.
- Freshness
- 1840-01-01 00:00:00
- Geography
- Entire territory of Prussia (historical).