Prussian Urmesstischblätter: Hand-Drawn Topographic Maps from 1822

Prussian Urmesstischblätter are hand-drawn, one-off topographic maps produced starting in 1822 for the entire territory of Prussia. The maps were created at a scale of 1:25,000 and were not published, serving as the foundational basis for smaller-scale maps. The Bundesamt für Kartographie und Geodäsie provides these maps, which mark the beginning of modern topographic cartography.

Use Cases

• Analyze historical land use and settlement patterns based on the hand-drawn topographic features.
• Study the evolution of cartographic design and symbology based on the standardized content and design rules established in 1821.
• Digitize and georeference historical map sheets for comparison with modern geospatial data.

Strengths

• Maps are foundational to modern topographic cartography, marking a historical starting point.
• Individual sheets have been reworked in color to be more similar to the original hand-drawn versions.
• Available as high-quality plots for detailed examination.

Limitations

• Row count and file size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Last updated 1845-01-01 00:00:00; freshness should be verified for historical research context.

Provenance

Source

Bundesamt für Kartographie und Geodäsie

Collection Method

Hand-drawn, one-off map sheets produced by the Royal Prussian General Staff.

Time Range

Production began in 1822. Individual sheet dated 1845.

Freshness

1845-01-01 00:00:00

Geography

Entire territory of Prussia.