Wahre contrafehtung der Reichstatt Landaw wie sie zu unsern zeiten in der Mawren steht

Title

Wahre contrafehtung der Reichstatt Landaw wie sie zu unsern zeiten in der Mawren steht

Map shows the city of Landau from a bird's eye view with coat of arms depictions.

ca. 1550

Artist

Münster (1489-1552)

Sebastian Münster (1489–1552) was a leading Renaissance cosmographer. His most famous work, the Cosmographia (1544), was a comprehensive description of the world with 24 maps, based on research dating back to 1528. Continuously revised, the 1550 edition already included many new maps. It was the first scientific yet accessible world description published in German, illustrated with numerous woodcuts by artists such as Hans Holbein the Younger. Between 1544 and 1650, the Cosmographia appeared in 46 editions (27 in German) and was translated into several languages. Münster’s work combined the knowledge of scholars, artists, and travelers and remained influential long after his death.

Historical Description

Landau was founded around 1260 by Count Emich IV von Leiningen-Landeck. This had an upstream fortification built as additional protection for his Landeck castle. In 1274 Landau received city rights from King Rudolf I of Habsburg. As a result of the Peace of Westphalia, large parts of Alsace came to France in 1648. Landau and the other cities in Alsace remained formally German, but were abandoned by the Reich. In the War of the Spanish Succession, the French fortress Landau changed hands several times after extensive sieges. In 1702 the Imperial troops replaced the French, in 1703 the French recovered Landau after the Battle of Speyerbach, in 1704 Landau became imperial again. In 1814, after the first victory in the liberation war over Napoléon Bonaparte, Landau remained French for the time being. Due to the agreements in the Second Paris Peace of November 1815, the area north of the Lauter and Landau came under the sovereignty of Austria. In April 1816, the entire Palatinate was ceded from Austria to the Kingdom of Bavaria in a treaty.