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This is a beautifully hand-colored bird’s-eye view of Haarlem, titled Haerlema, engraved by Matthäus Merian the Elder and published in the early 17th century, most likely around 1630s or '40s in one of the volumes of his Topographia Germaniae. Rendered in Merian’s characteristic oblique perspective, the map depicts the city in remarkable detail, surrounded by its fortifications, canals, and cultivated fields beyond the walls.
The map captures Haarlem’s pre-modern structure with clarity and precision. The city appears enclosed by a bastioned wall and double moats, with controlled access via gates and bridges. The street layout, densely packed with red-roofed buildings, spirals organically outward from the central market square, anchored by the imposing form of the Groote Kerck (St. Bavokerk).
In the lower right corner is a legend identifying 15 key landmarks, corresponding to numbers found throughout the plan. These include civic buildings, churches, and major market sites. Among the entries are:
- S. Jans Heeren, the Canons of St. John
- Bagÿn hof, the Beguinage
- Waech, a guardhouse
- Kraen, a hoisting crane on the Spaarne river
- Groote kerck, the main church of St. Bavo
- Klock huÿs, a bell or clock tower
- Vis marckt, the fish market
- Vleis hal, the meat market
- Martuelt, a smaller market or possibly a public execution square, distinct from the main marketplace
- Stathhuÿs, the town hall
- Gefangen huÿs, the city prison
- Weeshuyß, the orphanage
- Princen hof, the princely court
- D' Oße mart, the ox market
- S. Anne kerck, the Church of St. Anne
The plan is crowned by the coat of arms of Haarlem at upper left, and the surrounding fields are divided into multicolored plots, indicating gardens, orchards, and meadows—reflecting the city’s integration with the surrounding polder landscape.
Merian’s city views were not only topographically accurate but also visually engaging, designed to convey both the layout and symbolic order of urban life in the Dutch Republic. This view of Haarlem is among the finest of its kind, celebrating the city’s prosperity, strategic architecture, and civic institutions during the Golden Age.
Matthäus Merian (1593-1650) was the father of engravers Matthäus the Younger and Caspar, and of the painter, engraver, and naturalist Maria Sibylla Merian. He was born in Basel, Switzerland and trained in engraving in Zurich. After a time in Nancy, Paris and Strasbourg, he settled in Frankfurt. While there, he worked for Johann Theodor de Bry, the publisher and son of the travel writer. In 1617, he married Maria Magdalena de Bry, Johann Theodor’s daughter. In 1623, Merian took over the de Bry publishing house upon the death of his father-in-law. Merian’s best known works are detailed town views which, due to their accuracy and artistry, form a valuable record of European urban life in the first half of the sixteenth century
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