From 1767 to 1787, Prussian officer Friedrich Wilhelm Karl Graf von Schmettau created a detailed topographical map series of Prussian territories east of the Weser river at a scale of 1:50,000. The collection consists of 270 hand-drawn, multi-color map sections, each measuring 97 cm x 64 cm, which were not intended for publication. The original maps 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 cartographic techniques based on the hand-drawn, multi-color map sections.
- Research regional geography and administrative boundaries of 18th-century Prussia.
- Digitize and georeference historical maps for comparison with modern geographical data.
Strengths
- Contains 270 individual map sections providing extensive geographical coverage.
- High-resolution detail from a consistent 1:50,000 scale.
- Represents a culmination of pre-official Prussian cartography according to historical sources.
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.
- Data may reflect geographic and temporal bias inherent to its 18th-century source.
Provenance
- Source
- Bundesamt für Kartographie und Geodäsie
- Collection Method
- Hand-drawn topographical survey conducted by Friedrich Wilhelm Karl Graf von Schmettau and his team.
- Time Range
- 1767 to 1787
- Geography
- Prussian territories east of the Weser river.