Tallinn-Wolfenbüttel: The southern route

Regni Poloniæ et Ducatus Lithuaniæ Voliniæ, Podoliæ Ucraniæ Prussiæ et Curlandiæ descriptio Cartographer/Engraver/Publisher: Justus Danckerts Amsterdam, [1700] Copper engraving, 48 x 57 cm

At first glance, this map of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth appears to be of Dutch production. In the 17th century, the Netherlands were the centre of European cartography. Several competing workshops, however, were wont to republish their maps repeatedly, as often as possible. This may have served business interests but it was detrimental to the maps’

Regni Poloniae Magnique Ducat. Lithuaniae Nova et exacta Tabula Cartographer/Engraver/Publisher: Johann Baptist Homann Nuremberg, 1739 Copper engraving, 55 x 47 cm

Homman’s map of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth shows the entire Baltic region up to the Gulf of Finland. The shores of the Baltic Sea is depicted from the mouth of the River Oder to Saint Petersburg. The northern Baltic with Estonia did not belong to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth but to Sweden. Therefore, the map only shows

In 1747, the Nuremberg publishing house of Homann issued this map of Courland and Semigallia, a duchy under the dominion of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. While the map was published under the name of architect Johann Christoph Barnickel of Mitau (ca. 1700-1746), it was actually created by pastor Adolph Grot (1676-1726) from Courland, who travelled the

Dvcatvs Cvrlandiæ Cartographer/Engraver/Publisher: […] Homann Nuremberg, 1747 Copper engraving, 47 x 34 cm  

The genre of thematic maps showing a specific historical time or period emerged as early as the Renaissance. At first, cartographers focussed on classical antiquity. During the 18th century, they started to produce maps of medieval and early modern times. This map represents an attempt by Livonian teacher Wilhelm Christian Friebe (1761-1811) to depict the

Livland nach der Eintheilung Heinrich des Letten und zu den Zeiten der Bischöffe u. Ordensmeister bis 1562 Cartographer/Engraver/Publisher: Wilhelm C. Friebe, Johann W. Krause [Riga, Leipzig], [1798] Copper engraving, 47 x 69 cm

Waßende Graade Paskaardt Vertonende alle de Zeekusten van Europa Cartographer/Engraver/Publisher: Dirk Rembrantsz van Nierop, Jacobus Robijn Amsterdam, [1650] Copper engraving, 74 x 58 cm

This map of Europe is oriented to the West and consists of two parts. The larger part stretches north to the Gulf of Finland but does not show all of the Baltic. A smaller scale map of northern Europe to the right of the larger map includes Spitsbergen and Greenland. Following the style of older