Prussian Urmess Table Sheets: 1:25,000 Scale Hand-Drawn Maps

Beginning in 1822, the Royal Prussian General Staff produced these unique, hand-drawn topographic maps at a scale of 1:25,000. They were created as foundational documents for smaller-scale maps and mark the start of systematic topographic cartography in Prussia. The Bundesamt für Kartographie und Geodäsie provides these sheets, which are available as high-quality prints.

Use Cases

• Analyze historical land use and settlement patterns based on the detailed hand-drawn features.
• Study the evolution of cartographic techniques based on the foundational design principles established in 1821.
• Georeference historical maps based on the high-quality, large-scale plot files.

Strengths

• Maps are hand-drawn unique pieces, providing high detail and historical authenticity.
• Production began in 1822, offering a long-term historical record.
• Created at a foundational scale of 1:25,000 for topographic accuracy.

Limitations

• Last updated 1826-01-01 00:00:00; freshness should be verified.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data may reflect geographic and temporal bias inherent to 19th-century Prussian sources.

Provenance

Source

Bundesamt für Kartographie und Geodäsie

Collection Method

Hand-drawn by the Royal Prussian General Staff based on 1821 instructions.

Time Range

Production began 1822.

Freshness

1826-01-01 00:00:00

Geography

Entire territory of Prussia.