1560 Egrana della citta gia fogget al Romani Imperat. Hora del Regno di Boemia.
By: Sebastian Münster
Date: 1560 (circa) Basel
Dimensions: 8.75 x 13 inches (22.25 x 33 cm)
This striking double-page woodcut view from an Italian edition of Sebastian Münster’s Geographia features the Bohemian city of Eger, now known as Cheb. The area began to be settled in circa 900 CE, when a fortress was built on a promontory above the river Ohře, which flows through the historical region of the city.
Münster depicts a remarkably well-defended small city fortified with numerous city walls, watch towers, and ramparts encircling it, built on rather rough terrain of hills and bluffs overlooking the river. Three bridges cross the river, and moorings are shown in a number of places. The highly detailed image suggests that Münster either visited the city himself or had firsthand reliable reports and images from which to draw the map.
Famous landmarks which have survived include the Gothic church of St. Nicolas, the castle fortifications with their Romanesque windows, the black tower and the Romanesque-Gothic chapel of Saint Gérard and Saint Ursula have been preserved from the imperial palace of the town of Cheb. During the Thirty Years' War, Cheb was a favorable operational base for both fighting sides. The city’s commerce depended on textile production including that of carpets, leather products, and the brewing of beer.
The map is embellished with a heraldic device just above the city centre. The verso has text in Italian on both pages, one serves as a title page with remarks about the city and its locale in Bohemia, while the opposite side features more detailed descriptive text along with an inset close up view of one of the gates to the city. A wonderful map for anyone interested in history and architecture of the Medieval era.
Condition: This map is in B condition. The impression is generally crisp, but uneven in places. The crisp, dark impression on the verso is visible in places on the face of the map. Holes in either upper corner of the margin.
Inventory #12853
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