Prussian Urmesstischblätter: Hand-Drawn Topographic Maps from 1822

1822 marks the start of production for the Prussian Urmesstischblätter, a foundational series of hand-drawn topographic maps at a scale of 1:25,000. Created for the Royal Prussian General Staff, these one-off map sheets were not published but served as the basis for smaller-scale maps. The Bundesamt für Kartographie und Geodäsie provides these historical documents, which are available as plano prints and high-quality plots.

Use Cases

• Analyze historical land use and settlement patterns based on the hand-drawn topographic features.
• Study the evolution of cartographic design and standards based on the content and style determined by the 1821 instruction.
• Georeference historical data using the precise 1:25,000 scale maps as a spatial reference.
• Create digital reproductions or overlays for historical geographic information systems (HGIS) based on the high-quality plot files.

Strengths

• Maps were produced at a precise 1:25,000 scale, offering detailed spatial resolution.
• The series represents the foundational beginning of systematic topographic cartography in Prussia.
• Some individual sheets have been reworked in color to more closely resemble the original hand-drawn artifacts.

Limitations

• Last updated 1845-01-01 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 cartographic surveys conducted by the Royal Prussian General Staff.

Time Range

Production began in 1822. The specific sheet '4152 Peitz' likely dates from the 19th century.

Geography

Territory of Prussia. The specific sheet covers the area of Peitz.