Here are some great maps of some great medieval cities for your information and entertainment.
BolognaBristolBruggeBrussels
Budapest in 1617ChesterConstantinopleCracow 1493
Edirne 1688Granada 1572Exeter 1617Edinburgh
Ferrara 1600Florence 1493Hamburg 1572Jerusalem
LavretLondon 1560MilanOrvieto
Palmanova ItalyParis 1550Paris 1569Scandinavia
SevillaSevillaToledoTunis 1574
Valleta 1705Venezia 1550The Holy Land
19 COMMENTS
Yes, drawn post-medievally, but thanks for finding and posting these efforts of our forebears to show us how they “saw” their cities. Fascinating and well-done. The maps are beautifully prepared for digital.
Great compilation. Thanks for all your maps no matter if there´s always a pedantic genius that want to remark that those are not medieval. Thanks and great stuff
The only one of these maps that could be considered at all medieval is the last one, which was in the Rudimentum noviciorum, published at Lubek in 1475. The others are all from later time periods, mostly from Braun and Hogenberg’s _Civitates Orbis Terrarum_ (Cologne, 1572). Just look at the clothing, for starters.
This is an important point, because the medievals would not have drawn accurate maps. They strove to draw maps that were “spiritually”, rather than geographically, true. The realization that the real world was worth studying and depicting accurately marked the transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance.
Right, thanks for noting. Somebody has enlingthened me on facebook too. Should have visited Earth (I mean history classes) more often back in the old days…
True, the medieval maps were all symbolic maps. It wasn’t really important how it’s the land in the reality, but what it represents. For more information about it, there’s a book called “Cosmos and the City: the Medieval World in Urban Form”, from Keith D. Lilley.
But the selected maps above are anyway beautiful 🙂
Yes, drawn post-medievally, but thanks for finding and posting these efforts of our forebears to show us how they “saw” their cities. Fascinating and well-done. The maps are beautifully prepared for digital.
Although the maps are post medieval, the towns they depict are medieval.
some body would told me the world is gonna road me…
wow.
wow
BEAUTIFUL U.u
i need this for some homework lol my teacher said we had to see them and pick one for something xd 🙂
wow this is so beautiful :O <3
Wonderful collection! Thanks for sharing.
WOW, that’s beautiful, are they all authentic? greetings from Italy
Cartography has always been interesting to my family xx great selection
Great compilation. Thanks for all your maps no matter if there´s always a pedantic genius that want to remark that those are not medieval. Thanks and great stuff
Thanks a lot Kilroy, I have realized that since:)
The only one of these maps that could be considered at all medieval is the last one, which was in the Rudimentum noviciorum, published at Lubek in 1475. The others are all from later time periods, mostly from Braun and Hogenberg’s _Civitates Orbis Terrarum_ (Cologne, 1572). Just look at the clothing, for starters.
This is an important point, because the medievals would not have drawn accurate maps. They strove to draw maps that were “spiritually”, rather than geographically, true. The realization that the real world was worth studying and depicting accurately marked the transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance.
Right, thanks for noting. Somebody has enlingthened me on facebook too. Should have visited Earth (I mean history classes) more often back in the old days…
True, the medieval maps were all symbolic maps. It wasn’t really important how it’s the land in the reality, but what it represents. For more information about it, there’s a book called “Cosmos and the City: the Medieval World in Urban Form”, from Keith D. Lilley.
But the selected maps above are anyway beautiful 🙂
Thanks for the book reference.
Love your site!
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