Prussian Urmesstischblätter: Original 1:25,000 Topographic Maps from 1822

Hand-drawn Prussian Urmesstischblätter topographic maps produced beginning in 1822 for the entire territory of Prussia at a scale of 1:25,000. The maps were created by the Royal Prussian General Staff and mark the beginning of modern topographic cartography. They are available plano, primarily as prints, with some individual sheets reworked in color.

Use Cases

• Analyze historical land use and settlement patterns based on the detailed hand-drawn topographic features.
• Study the evolution of cartographic design and standards based on the 1821 instruction and sample sheets mentioned.
• Georeference historical maps for comparison with modern geospatial data based on the precise 1:25,000 scale.

Strengths

• Maps were produced at a precise 1:25,000 scale, allowing for detailed analysis.
• The collection represents the foundational work of modern topographic cartography, as stated in the description.
• Some individual sheets have been reworked in color to be more similar to the original hand-drawn versions.

Limitations

• Last updated 1846-01-01 00:00:00; freshness should be verified.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality and completeness require manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.

Provenance

Source

Bundesamt für Kartographie und Geodäsie

Collection Method

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

Time Range

Production began in 1822.

Freshness

1846-01-01

Geography

Entire territory of Prussia.