1969 Old Jerusalem
By: Hermann Bollmann
Date: 1969 (published) Haifa
Dimensions: 21.5 x 35.5 inches (53.3 x 90.2 cm)
This first edition bird's-eye pictorial map of Old Jerusalem by Hermann Bollmann, depicts the city in an age of antiquity. The map was published as part of a pamphlet enclosed in an attractive gold-toned cover which features part of the map on both front and back.
Popular long-time mayor of Jerusalem, Teddy Kollek, introduced the map and pamphlet with an interesting dedication describing his perception of the city, its place in history and its meaning to mankind in general. The pamphlet includes much information about the city, including a historical timeline of it in English, German and French, along with an index of the numbers used to identify specific historical places.
This spectacular view of Old Jerusalem shows in minute detail the buildings, streets and walls of this ancient city which has had such an impact on so many peoples and cultures through the millennia. In making it, Bollmann used the same techniques as those he had used for his famous Manhattan map, and we clearly see the grandeur and minutiae of the old city in this vivid three-dimensional work.
The Wailing Wall of the Temple, the Dome of the Rock, the ancient walls and their towers, all are crafted in miniature 3D, including windows, city gates, parapets, towers and the crenellations of the walls. Its ancient streets and byways are named and vegetation along many of them depicted. The map is highly acclaimed for its beauty, accuracy and craftsmanship.
Bollmann’s approach puts viewers in a unique position to appreciate the unique sites of the ancient city, providing a perspective which exceeds limitations imposed by other methodologies, even in the age of the internet. His map enables viewers to gaze on any part of the city, down to its smallest details, almost as if there in person.
Bollmann is perhaps best known for his three-dimensional map of New York City, in which he solved the primary problem posed by the project - how to show New York's many and densely concentrated skyscrapers from the same angle and relative height, while not obscuring most of the city behind them.
One of the techniques used by him to accomplish this dates back to the 15th century, and developed in Germany over the centuries into a fully flowered cartographic art form called Vogelschaukarten in German in the 1800s. He also used extensive photographing, both street level and aerial, on which to base his detailed drawings of the city. Following publication of the New York City map and its great success, these maps of Jerusalem were commissioned by Wim van Leer, who wanted three-dimensional maps of the city, depicting them in both ancient times and modern.
Condition: This first edition map is in A condition securely folder in its pamphlet with no tears, holes, or markings. The map can be removed from the pamphlet and flattened for an additional cost.
Inventory #12056
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