Prospectus Ecclesiae cathedralis St. Johannis, Ecclesiam versus St. Crucis collegia, tam Vratislaviae. Prospect der Domkirche zu St. Johann, gegen der

Title

Prospectus Ecclesiae cathedralis St. Johannis, Ecclesiam versus St. Crucis collegia, tam Vratislaviae. Prospect der Domkirche zu St. Johann, gegen der

English title: ‘Prospect of St. John's Cathedral, opposite the Collegiate Church of the Holy Cross in Breslau.’ The view shows St. John's Cathedral, the town hall and St. Matthias Church in Breslau. Also in the foreground are figurative staffage and ships on the Oder River.

ca. 1760

Artist

Probst (1732-1801)

Georg Balthasar Probst (1732–1801), Georg Balthasar Probst was a German artist, engraver and publisher in Augsburg, a major European publishing center in the 17th and 18th centuries. He produced architectural views of places around the world intended as vues d’optiques, which were published in various places during the last half of the 18th century, including Paris, Augsburg and London. He was also known for his portraits. Probst came from an extended family of printers, whose businesses can all be traced back to the publishing firm of Jeremias Wolff (1663-1724). After Wolff's death his firm was continued as “Wolff’s Heirs” (Haeres Jer. Wolffii) by his son-in-law Johann Balthasar Probst (1689-1750). After Probst’s death in 1750, his descendants divided the business and published under their own imprints: Johann Friedrich Probst (1721-1781), Georg Balthasar Probst (1732-1801) and Johann Michael Probst. Another part of the Wolff-Probst firm was acquired by the Augsburg publisher Johann Georg Hertel (1700-1775), whose son Georg Leopold Hertel had married a sister of the Probsts. In the next generation, Georg Mathäus Probst (d. 1788), son of Georg Balthasar Probst, also became an engraver of portraits and views.

Historical Description

Breslau, located on the Oder River in present-day Poland, has a history spanning over a thousand years. As early as the 10th century, a Slavic settlement was established, later becoming part of the Piast dynasty’s Poland. In the 13th century, Breslau was granted city rights under Magdeburg law and developed into an important trade and cultural center in Silesia. The city was a member of the Hanseatic League, which boosted its economic growth. Breslau later came under Habsburg rule and, for periods, Prussian control, remaining an important center for trade, education, and culture. In the 19th and 20th centuries, Breslau was part of the German Empire, undergoing industrialization and modernization. The city was heavily destroyed during World War II. After the war, Breslau became part of Poland and was renamed Wrocław. Most of the German population was expelled and replaced by Poles from the eastern territories. Today, Wrocław is a modern, vibrant city, known for its historic old town, bridges, universities, and cultural events.