Scandinavian cartography 1650–1800

ABSTRACT

Originally written in 1985, the article provided the first general overview of the history of cartography in the Nordic countries for the period 1650–1800. The objective of the article is to show how the mapping of Northern Europe developed during that period. It is based on available literature and extensive studies in Scandinavian map archives. Mapping activities included property mapping for taxation and land reorganization, early town plans, scientific mapping by scholarly societies, military surveys especially in border regions, charting of economic resources on land, hydrographical surveys of the coasts, and recording the Icelandic environment. The article shows how cartography in the period 1650–1800 had a strong utilitarian motivation.

KEYWORDS:

• mapping of Northern Europe 1650–1800
• property mapping
• scholarly societies
• surveys
• town plans

Notes

1 The three volumes of Svenska Lantmäteriet, 1628–1928 (Svenska Lantmäteriet 1928) are the principal source for this section.

2 From 1995, part of the Swedish National Archives

3 W.R. Mead had a good working knowledge of all the Nordic languages and almost certainly translated the direct quotations in this article into English himself.

4 From 1989 part of the National Survey and Cadastre of Denmark (Kort- & Matrikelstyrelsen), from 2013 renamed the Danish Geodata Agency (Geodatastyrelsen)

5 These maps are listed in the volume for the county of Østfold, the first of the series published by the Norwegian Institute of Local History (Norsk Lokalhistorisk Institutt) cataloguing historical manuscript maps for each fylke (county).

6 For more information on historical measures, see Falkman (1884–1885) and Nørlund (1944c).

7 The donation of 32 maps was a gift to the University Library, Oslo, from the Royal Library, Copenhagen, in 1853, mediated by Danish history professor Erich Christian Werlauff (1781–1871). The Werlauffske donation is kept in the National Library of Norway.

8 From 1986, the Norwegian Mapping Authority (Statens kartverk, normally referred to as Kartverket from 2012)

9 A typescript titled ‘Finska rekognosceringsverket’, introducing the material, was prepared in 1931 by S. Wawrinsky for the Swedish Military Archives.

10 Tilas, D. ‘Mineral historia öfver Biörneborgs och Tavestehus lähner med någre andre få ställen i de öfrige lähnen uti Finland, 1737–38’, manuscript in the Directorate of Mines Archive, Stockholm (now part of the Swedish National Archives)

11 The Danish alen as determined in 1683 corresponded to 62.94 m, the Swedish aln at that time corresponded to 59.32 m and the Lübeck elle corresponded to 57.505 m.

12 From 1989 part of the National Survey and Cadastre of Denmark (Kort- & Matrikelstyrelsen), from 2013 the Danish Geodata Agency (Geodatastyrelsen)