Map of Halle
Title
Map of Halle
Alternative Title
Darstellung des Grundrisses und Prospectes der Königl. Preußisch-Magdeburgischen und des Saal-Crayses Haupt Stadt HALLE, welcher daselbst Kosten und Verlag Iohann Baptistae Homanna der Röm. Kays. Mai. Geographi und Mitglids der Königl. Preuss Societät der Wißenschaffte, ist ausgemeßen und Geometrice verzeichnet worden von I.C Homann der Medicin und Mathematic Studioso zufinden in Nürnberg bey dem Authore.
Description
The center of this map depicts an overview of the city of Halle, with a profile view and three snapshots of life in the city along the bottom. The text of this map is in German, with the title indicating it as a depiction and view of Halle, the capital of one of the districts of Prussia-Magdeburg. The title also notes that this map was from the publishing house of Johann Baptist Homann and contributed to by his son Johann Christoph Homann.
This map, published around 1730, is likely from Johann Baptist Homann’s Großer Atlas über die ganze Welt, originally published in 1716 as an expansion to his original 1707 Atlas über die ganze Welt. The map itself is similar in style to a number of other city views that the Homann firm published. After Johann Baptist’s death in 1724, his son Johann Christoph took over the company until his own death in 1730. Given the dedication in the title to both Johann Baptist and his son, it is likely that it was included in a later edition of the Großer Atlas published under Johann Christoph. However, after Johann Christoph’s early death, the heirs to the firm (Johann Georg Erbesberger, a copper engraver working for the company, and Johann Michael Franz, a University friend of Johann Christoph’s) continued to work in his style for at least two years. Additionally, the lack of a date in the title is also characteristic of pre-Homann Heirs work. After 1737, the Homann firm would consistently date their maps. This places the date of production around the time of Johann Christoph’s death.
The copper engraving is colored with bright greens, pinks, and blues, which make the map very vibrant. Given its publication in the mid-eighteenth century this map includes many indications of the cultural moment of the Enlightenment. The renderings at the bottom of the city view includes two factory scenes from the salt industry of Halle. The two drawings are supplemented by a view of an auditorium during a lecture. This combination emphasizes the manual and intellectual labor of a larger city like Halle. Johann Christoph even studied medicine in Halle before taking over his father’s company. The map also includes a detailed key to the numbering of the buildings, river, and fields within and surrounding the city. The attention to detail and quality of the engravings leave no doubt as to why the Homann firm was one of the leading European cartographical publishing firms of the eighteenth century. (Riley Gibson 2026)
This map, published around 1730, is likely from Johann Baptist Homann’s Großer Atlas über die ganze Welt, originally published in 1716 as an expansion to his original 1707 Atlas über die ganze Welt. The map itself is similar in style to a number of other city views that the Homann firm published. After Johann Baptist’s death in 1724, his son Johann Christoph took over the company until his own death in 1730. Given the dedication in the title to both Johann Baptist and his son, it is likely that it was included in a later edition of the Großer Atlas published under Johann Christoph. However, after Johann Christoph’s early death, the heirs to the firm (Johann Georg Erbesberger, a copper engraver working for the company, and Johann Michael Franz, a University friend of Johann Christoph’s) continued to work in his style for at least two years. Additionally, the lack of a date in the title is also characteristic of pre-Homann Heirs work. After 1737, the Homann firm would consistently date their maps. This places the date of production around the time of Johann Christoph’s death.
The copper engraving is colored with bright greens, pinks, and blues, which make the map very vibrant. Given its publication in the mid-eighteenth century this map includes many indications of the cultural moment of the Enlightenment. The renderings at the bottom of the city view includes two factory scenes from the salt industry of Halle. The two drawings are supplemented by a view of an auditorium during a lecture. This combination emphasizes the manual and intellectual labor of a larger city like Halle. Johann Christoph even studied medicine in Halle before taking over his father’s company. The map also includes a detailed key to the numbering of the buildings, river, and fields within and surrounding the city. The attention to detail and quality of the engravings leave no doubt as to why the Homann firm was one of the leading European cartographical publishing firms of the eighteenth century. (Riley Gibson 2026)
Creator
Johann Baptist Homann and Johann Christoph Homann
Source
Unknown
Format
Sheet map removed from atlas
Date
ca. 1730
Medium
Engraving
Contributor
Special Collections, Carleton College, Northfield, MN
Language
German
Type
City map
Spatial Coverage
Halle
References
Diefenbacher, Michael, Markus Heinz, Ruth Bach-Damaskinos, Stadtgeschichtliche Museen Nürnberg., Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin--Preussischer Kulturbesitz., and Stadtarchiv Nürnberg. “Auserlesene und allerneueste Landkarten” : der Verlag Homann in Nürnberg 1702-1848. Nürnberg: Tümmels, 2002.
Edney, Matthew H. “German States.” In The History of Cartography vol. 4, part 1, Cartography in the European Enlightenment, ed. Matthew H. Edney and Mary Sponberg Pedley. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2019.
Heinz, Markus. “A Programme for Map Publishing: The Homann Firm in the Eighteenth Century.” Imago Mundi (Lympne) 49, no. 1 (1997): 104–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/03085699708592862.
Heinz, Markus. “Homman Family.” In The History of Cartography vol. 4, part 1, Cartography in the European Enlightenment, ed.
Matthew H. Edney and Mary Sponberg Pedley. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2019.
Neumann, Joachim. “Geographical Mapping in the German States.” In The History of Cartography vol. 4, part 1, Cartography in the European Enlightenment, ed. Matthew H. Edney and Mary Sponberg Pedley. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2019.
Edney, Matthew H. “German States.” In The History of Cartography vol. 4, part 1, Cartography in the European Enlightenment, ed. Matthew H. Edney and Mary Sponberg Pedley. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2019.
Heinz, Markus. “A Programme for Map Publishing: The Homann Firm in the Eighteenth Century.” Imago Mundi (Lympne) 49, no. 1 (1997): 104–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/03085699708592862.
Heinz, Markus. “Homman Family.” In The History of Cartography vol. 4, part 1, Cartography in the European Enlightenment, ed.
Matthew H. Edney and Mary Sponberg Pedley. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2019.
Neumann, Joachim. “Geographical Mapping in the German States.” In The History of Cartography vol. 4, part 1, Cartography in the European Enlightenment, ed. Matthew H. Edney and Mary Sponberg Pedley. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2019.
Rights
Rights for maps held by individual publishers and institutions. Thumbnails displayed constitute fair use.
Citation
Johann Baptist Homann and Johann Christoph Homann, “Map of Halle,” Mapping the World, accessed April 24, 2026, https://hist231.hist.sites.carleton.edu/items/show/111.