Braun & Hogenberg's Civitates Orbis Terrarum or "Cities of the World" was published between 1572 and 1617. Within the six volumes, 531 towns and cities were depicted on 363 plates, providing the reader with the pleasures of travel without the attendant discomforts. Braun wrote in the preface to the third book, "What could be more pleasant than, in one's own home far from all danger, to gaze in these books at the universal form of the earth . . . adorned with the splendor of cities and fortresses and, by looking at pictures and reading the texts accompanying them, to acquire knowledge which could scarcely be had but by long and difficult journeys?" Braun and Hogenberg incorporated an astonishing wealth of information into each scene beyond the city layout and important buildings. The plates provide an impression of the economy and prominent occupations, and illustrate local costumes, manners and customs.

This graphic bird's-eye view shows the Hungarian fortress settlement of Törökszentmiklós, close to Szolnok. Fortified in the early sixteenth century in traditional Renaissance style with wide ditches and symmetrical bastions, it was captured by the Turks in 1553. The view depicts the fortress and village in flames after the army of Emperor Rudolf II (misidentified as Maximilian in the title cartouche) recaptured the fort in October 1595. A mosque with a destroyed minaret, the twin domes of a Turkish bath, and an Ottoman cemetery are prominently depicted. Drawn by George Hoefnagel. Latin text on verso.

References: Fussel, p. 473; Van der Krogt (Vol. IV) #4407.

Condition: B+

A nice impression on a sheet with a horn watermark and a printer's crease at top center. There are a few light spots, extraneous creasing around the centerfold at bottom, and a tiny abrasion in the border at top.