Partie Septentrionale du Cercle de la Haute Saxe.

Title

Partie Septentrionale du Cercle de la Haute Saxe.

Description

Map shows Pomerania and Brandenburg, including the island of Rügen, and features a mileage indicator.

ca. 1788

Artist

Bonne (1727-1795)

Rigobert Bonne (1727–1795) was one of the most important cartographers of the late 18th century. In 1773 Bonne succeeded Jacques Nicolas Bellin as Royal Cartographer to France in the office of the Hydrographer at the Depôt de la Marine. Working in his official capacity, Bonne compiled some of the most detailed and accurate maps of the period. Bonne’s work represents an important step in the evolution of the cartographic ideology away from the decorative work of the 17th and early 18th century towards a more detail oriented and practical aesthetic. With regard to the rendering of terrain Bonne maps bear many stylistic similarities to those of his predecessor, Bellin. However, Bonne maps generally abandon such common 18th century decorative features such as hand coloring, elaborate decorative cartouches, and compass roses. While mostly focusing on coastal regions, the work of Bonne is highly regarded for its detail, historical importance, and overall aesthetic appeal.

Historical Description

The province of Pomerania, located in the north German lowlands, was the Prussian province formed from the Duchy of Pomerania after the Vienna Congress in 1815. It consisted of western Pomerania and Western Pomerania. Pomerania's capital was Szczecin. Through the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, Hinterpommern came to Brandenburg and Vorpommern became Swedish-Pommern. The Brandenburg Elector Friedrich Wilhelm I succeeded in conquering all of Swedish Pomerania in 1678, but he had to forego the majority of the conquered areas under pressure from France in the Peace of Saint-Germain (1679). After the end of the Great Northern War (1700-1721), the part of Western Pomerania south of the Peene came to Prussia (Old Western Pomerania). During the territorial reorganization of Europe in 1815, the last part of Western Pomerania, which remained Swedish, became Prussian with the island of Rügen (New Western Pomerania). At the same time, Pomerania received the districts of Dramburg and Schivelbein as well as the northern parts of the Arnswalde district with the town of Nörenberg from the Neumark, which otherwise remained with the province of Brandenburg.