PD Dr. Christian Lotz
Map collection
The map collection comprises around 70,000 maps and 9,000 vertical aerial photographs. The geographical focus is on the territory of the present-day states of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia and the Kaliningrad Oblast. Some map material is also available for neighbouring countries, e.g. Ukraine.
Have you not found what you are looking for? Do you have questions about the history of cartography in Eastern Central Europe? Write to us: kartensammlung@herder-institut.de
Maps at the Herder Institute
Maps at the Herder Institute
- Topographical maps from around the mid-19th century to the present day
- Thematic maps, e.g. on population, economy and traffic in countries and regions in Eastern Europe
- City maps
- Atlases
- Old maps, i.e. prints from the period between 1550 and 1850
- Print templates, drafts and map drawings, mainly produced for publications by the Herder Institute since the 1950s
- Vertical aerial photographs from 1942 to 1945, mainly for regions in present-day Poland
Whenever you find a map you no longer have a use for, please contact us! We are happy to buy maps — old and new — or gratefully receive them as a donation, no matter what kind they may be: a single topographic map sheet, a creased city map from the hotel reception desk or a touring map from your last trip through Central and Eastern Europe. Every map is valuable!
Exploring
Most of the holdings in the map collection can be searched for in the map catalogue.
In addition, the library catalogue provides access to cartographic material, such as atlases and maps that were published in books. To do this, select Advanced Search and restrict the “Type” to “Map”.
The vertical aerial photographs and some maps series can already be viewed and downloaded from the map catalogue. You can order scans of the other holdings. In the context of Open access, a free quota is available to you per quarter.
You can view maps and other materials on site at the institute in the study hall of the Scientific Collections. Please contact us in advance by e-mail.
Service
Aerial photograph No. K18 2744 011, 3 February 1945, Crossen an der Oder
We are happy to advise by e-mail, telephone and on site on all questions relating to researching and using maps.
You can order digital reproductions of materials from our collection. The free quota is 10 scans per quarter. If the scans are already available, the upper limit is 20 scans per quarter. The Herder Institute charges fees for providing additional scans.
If you require a larger number of reproductions, please contact us.
Price listTransfer
The map collection provides maps for courses and workshops on the history of East Central Europe. Are you conducting a seminar or organising a workshop? Let us know the topic and we will advise you: Which maps are suitable for teaching participants about aspects of East Central European history? Which questions can be addressed using selected maps?
Internships
Students can complete internships in the map collection. Please contact us: Which aspects of cartography, history and geography of Eastern Europe are you particularly interested in? Which parts of our work would you like to learn about?
Place names
History always has a place. But the names of places change over the course of history. The Herder Institute's map collection strives to improve the recording of place names. In the Gazetteer Project, we analysed digital place name directories. Now we are working in the digiCULT network to build the xTree.geografika database.
