Schmettau Map Collection: 18th-Century Topographical Maps of Prussia

270 hand-drawn, unpublished map sheets of Prussian territory east of the Weser river, created between 1767 and 1787. The work was led by Prussian officer and cartographer Friedrich Wilhelm Karl Graf von Schmettau, produced on his own initiative with support from the crown prince. Original sheets are held by the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin and measure 97 cm by 64 cm.

Use Cases

• Analyze historical land use and topography based on the detailed 1:50,000 scale maps
• Study the evolution of cartographic techniques based on hand-drawn, multi-color originals
• Compare 18th-century Prussian territorial boundaries and features with modern maps
• Research the history and politics of map-making based on its creation against the king's concerns

Strengths

• 270 individual map sheets provide extensive spatial coverage
• High-resolution 1:50,000 scale offers detailed topographical information
• Original hand-drawn sheets represent unique historical artifacts

Limitations

• Last updated 1787-12-31 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 topographical survey

Time Range

1767 to 1787

Geography

Prussian territory east of the Weser river, specifically the Templin region (Section 38)