270 hand-drawn, multi-color map sheets of Prussian territory east of the Weser river were created between 1767 and 1787 by Prussian officer Friedrich Wilhelm Karl Graf von Schmettau. The work, produced at a scale of 1:50,000, represents the culmination of Prussian cartography for its time. Each sheet is a unique piece measuring 97 cm x 64 cm, and the originals are held by the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin.
Use Cases
- Analyze historical land use and topography based on the detailed 1:50,000 scale maps.
- Study the evolution of Prussian cartographic methods based on a major 18th-century map series.
- Georeference historical features against modern maps using the precise hand-drawn topography.
- Research the political and military context of map-making based on its creation against the concerns of Frederick II.
Strengths
- Contains 270 individual map sheets providing extensive coverage.
- Created at a detailed scale of 1:50,000.
- Each sheet is a unique, hand-drawn artifact representing high cartographic quality for its era.
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 cartographic survey.
- Time Range
- 1767 to 1787
- Geography
- Prussian territory east of the Weser river, specifically the Bernau region.