270 hand-drawn, unpublished map sheets of Prussian territory east of the Weser river, created between 1767 and 1787.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 Friedrich Wilhelm Karl Graf von Schmettau and is considered the culmination of Prussian cartography of its era. Original sheets are held by the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin and are available as multi-colour prints measuring 97 cm x 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 the hand-drawn, multi-colour prints.
- Research the administrative and territorial history of Prussia based on the mapped boundaries.
- Digitize and georeference historical maps for comparison with modern geographical data.
Strengths
- Contains 270 individual map sheets providing extensive coverage.
- Created at a detailed scale of 1:50,000.
- Represents a primary source from a key period (1767-1787) in Prussian cartography.
- Original physical artifacts are preserved by a major cultural institution (Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin).
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 topographic survey.
- Time Range
- 1767 to 1787
- Geography
- Prussian territory east of the Weser river.