Von dem deutschen Landt

Title

Von dem deutschen Landt

City map of Geldern (incorrectly Plan of Metz) in North Rhine-Westphalia, below a portrait of the Duke of Alba and the coat of arms of the Duchy of Geldern. Back featuring a rider on a bridge over the Rhine.

ca. 1575

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

The first written mention as Gelleron in the Urbar A of Werden Abbey dates back to around 900. A Gerhard Flamens, who was granted Wassenberg by Emperor Henry II around 1020, was presumably the progenitor of the Counts of Geldern. The settlement was developed into a fortress with ramparts, moats and walls in the 13th century. The ramparts were named after the four cardinal points and had three gates, the names of which are still used today. Geldern was granted city rights in 1229. Geldern was the seat of the Counts and Dukes of Geldern until 1343 and the capital of the Upper Quarter until 1347. The town of Geldern has often been the subject of territorial disputes throughout its history. The War of the Spanish Succession took place from 1701 to 1713/1714. From 1794 to 1814, Geldern - like the entire left bank of the Rhine - was occupied by French troops. After the end of French rule and the return to Prussia (Congress of Vienna 1815). The past in the form of the Duchy of Geldern can still be recognized by the occasional, unofficial nickname “Herzogstadt” and the “Herzogtheater”. The town of Geldern in its current form was created during the municipal reform of 1969.