"Amstelredamum, nobile Inferioris Germaniae oppidum", Braun & Hogenberg

Based on the woodcut plan of Cornelis Antoniszoon (1544), this plan shows Amsterdam with its medieval walls and formal defensive systems. It illustrates the unique Dutch form of urban plan with the Amstel River dammed near its mouth and its flow controlled by channels to the sea with an outer harbor created from the downstream portion, and an inner harbor from the upstream portion. The dam, located at the center, also provided the central plaza for public buildings. Scores of ships and fishing boats fill the harbors, attesting to the increased trade and commerce that Amsterdam was beginning to experience when this plan was published. Latin text on verso.

References: Goss (Cities) #2.

Condition: B

Lovely old color with minor surface soil and an old repair on centerfold. Chip in bottom margin with paper replaced, not affecting map. Remnants of hinge tape on verso.