Prussian Urmesstischblätter: Hand-Drawn Topographic Maps from 1841

The Prussian Urmesstischblätter production began in 1822 for the entire territory of Prussia. These maps are hand-drawn one-offs on a scale of 1:25,000, intended as the basis for smaller-scale maps. The Bundesamt für Kartographie und Geodäsie provides this specific sheet, Wernsdorf, from 1841.

Use Cases

• Analyze historical land use and settlement patterns based on the hand-drawn topographic features.
• Study the evolution of cartographic design based on the content and style determined by the 1821 Royal Prussian General Staff instructions.
• Georeference historical maps for comparison with modern spatial data based on the 1:25,000 scale.
• Research the foundational techniques of topographic cartography based on the description of these sheets marking its beginning.

Strengths

• Maps are drawn at a detailed 1:25,000 scale.
• Sheets are available as high-quality plots, with some reworked in color to be more similar to the original.
• Represents the beginning of systematic topographic cartography as described.

Limitations

• Last updated 1841-01-01 00:00:00; freshness should be verified.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Bundesamt für Kartographie und Geodäsie

Collection Method

Hand-drawn original maps produced by the Royal Prussian General Staff.

Time Range

1822 onward, with this specific sheet from 1841.

Freshness

1841-01-01 00:00:00

Geography

Territory of Prussia, specifically the Wernsdorf area.