Amsterdam cartographer and publisher Nicolaes Visscher (1618-1679) produced considerable numbers of maps and atlases. His map of the Holy Roman Empire provides a highly accurate representation of the coastline from the Netherlands to Prussia. The map’s colouration illustrates Germany’s division into several so-called Imperial Circles. The western part of modern Lower Saxony belonged to the Westphalian Circle (coloured rose), while the eastern part, together with Holstein and Mecklenburg, formed the Lower Saxon Circle (coloured green). Pomerania, on the other hand, was part of the Upper Saxon Circle (outlined in yellow).