MAX-PLANCK-INSTITUT FÜR WISSENSCHAFTSGESCHICHTE Max Planck Institute for the History of Science

Event

Mar 6, 2025
Sebastian Münster’s Cosmography: Making Maps and Imaging Germany

Sebastian Münster’s “Cosmographia”, first published in 1544, became the most influential cosmography of the 16th century, making complex geographical knowledge accessible to a broad audience.

In 1992, I published a new edition of Münster’s New World map, analysing the production of his woodcut illustrations. Initially seen as a mere compiler of lost maps, Münster should be recognised as a pioneering mapmaker. His “Cosmographia” remains captivating to both historical and modern audiences. This raises key questions: How did a scholarly description of the whole world become a commercial success? How did Münster, a reserved scholar, transform cosmography into a popular text for the German public? How can we evaluate his influence?

Organizer(s)
Address
Jägerstraße 22/23, 10117 Berlin, Germany
Room
Leibniz-Saal
About This Series

Maps belong to the oldest forms of human communication and thus represent an important historical record of space. Yet, maps are much more than just a visual presentation of a territory during a certain period of time, they are a reflection of the historical, political, religious and cultural contexts in which they were compiled.

This series of lectures invites a fresh critical view on mapping; its role in the global circulation of knowledge; influence on state sovereignty and royal authority; colonialism, imperialism, and national identities throughout history.

Berlin is an apt place for this topic. It has historically been a meeting point of mapping practices from all over the world. The city played a key role in the genesis of the history of cartography as a distinct branch of the history of science. It hosts a huge variety of samples of the material culture of mapping across many institutions that illustrate how a map is strongly conditioned by the space and time in which it was created (historical context), by people who created it (mapmakers), and by the audience and purpose for which it was intended (users). Maps are, therefore, to be understood as complex social constructs representing the power of knowledge.

Germany is now a major repository of mapping efforts through history, making Berlin a perfect setting for this lecture series. The lecture series will be continued (Part II) from January 2025 onwards.

 

The lecture series is jointly organized by Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Max-Planck-Institut für Wissenschaftsgeschichte, and Einstein Center Chronoi.

2025-03-06T18:00:00SAVE IN I-CAL 2025-03-06 18:00:00 2025-03-06 20:00:00 Sebastian Münster’s Cosmography: Making Maps and Imaging Germany Sebastian Münster’s “Cosmographia”, first published in 1544, became the most influential cosmography of the 16th century, making complex geographical knowledge accessible to a broad audience. In 1992, I published a new edition of Münster’s New World map, analysing the production of his woodcut illustrations. Initially seen as a mere compiler of lost maps, Münster should be recognised as a pioneering mapmaker. His “Cosmographia” remains captivating to both historical and modern audiences. This raises key questions: How did a scholarly description of the whole world become a commercial success? How did Münster, a reserved scholar, transform cosmography into a popular text for the German public? How can we evaluate his influence? Jägerstraße 22/23, 10117 Berlin, Germany Leibniz-Saal Dagmar SchäferVera V. Dorofeeva-LichtmannUte Tintemann Dagmar SchäferVera V. Dorofeeva-LichtmannUte Tintemann Europe/Berlin public