Cotrafehtung der Statt Regenspurg.

Title

Cotrafehtung der Statt Regenspurg.

Map shows the city of Regensburg with coat of arms and description. Reverse: Marcus Aurelius knight and Roman captain.

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

Regensburg can prove an early first mention by the Emperor Marcus Aurelius with the establishment of a Roman camp in 179. The Roman history of Regensburg begins around 79 AD with the establishment of the cohort fort Kumpfmühl in the area of today's district Kumpfmühl-Ziegetsdorf-Neuprüll. From about 500 to 788, Regensburg was the headquarters of the Dukes of Bavaria from the Agilolfing dynasty. Regensburg became an important center of the early Bavarian tribal duchy. Regensburg is one of the oldest bishoprics in Germany, which had already existed for several decades when it was placed under canon law and thus under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome by Boniface in 739. In the 9th century Regensburg was one of the most important cities of the East Frankish Carolingian Empire. The Bavarian dukes of the Wittelsbach dynasty residing in the city could not stop the city's development towards independence due to internal conflicts after the Bavarian division of land in 1255. They gave up their residence in Regensburg at the Kornmarkt, left Regensburg and moved to Landshut in 1259. Probably around 1273, the construction of Regensburg's St. Peter's Cathedral began. Together with the Stone Bridge, the cathedral is the city's landmark. From 1293, construction also began on the medieval city wall with seven new city gate towers, which incorporated the new suburbs to the west and east and several churches and monasteries into the city area.