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This small but vivid bird's-eye view of Passau from the early 17th century captures the essence of this historic German city, strategically positioned at the confluence of the Danube, Inn, and Ilz rivers.
The view is rendered with impressive detail, showcasing the densely built townscape, the prominent ecclesiastical structures, and the imposing fortifications that define Passau's silhouette against the verdant hills. The engraving is hand-colored, with an emphasis on earthy greens, rich browns, and the blue-grey hues of the rivers, lending a sense of vitality to the city's representation.
Passau, often referred to as the "Three Rivers City," was an important medieval and early modern trade and ecclesiastical center. In the early 17th century, Passau was a flourishing bishopric and a significant site for religious and commercial activities in the Holy Roman Empire. The city's strategic location made it a key transit point for goods moving along the Danube and its tributaries, connecting Western Europe with the Black Sea and beyond. This period was marked by the construction and renovation of many religious and defensive structures, reflecting the city’s wealth and its role as a bulwark of Catholicism during the Counter-Reformation.
At the center, the view prominently displays the St. Stephen's Cathedral, with its distinctive twin towers, which was central to Passau's religious life. Other notable features include the Veste Oberhaus, a fortress overlooking the city from a strategic hilltop, and the Mariahilf pilgrimage church, visible on the opposite bank of the Inn River.
Petrus Bertius was a Flemish historian, theologian, geographer, and cartographer. Known in Dutch as Peter de Bert, Bertius was born in Beveren. His father was a Protestant preacher and his family fled to London around 1568. The young Bertius only returned to the Low Countries in 1577, to attend the University of Leiden. A bright pupil, Bertius worked as a tutor and was named subregent of the Leiden Statencollege in 1593. He ascended to the position of regent in 1606, upon the death of the former regent, who was also Bertius’ father-in-law. However, due to his radical religious views, he eventually lost his teaching position and was forbidden from offering private lessons.
His brothers-in-law were Jodocus Hondius and Pieter van den Keere, who were both prominent cartographers. Bertius began his own cartographic publishing in 1600 when he released a Latin edition of Barent Langenes’ miniature atlas Caert Thresoor (1598). He published another miniature atlas that first appeared in 1616.
By 1618, Bertius was named cosmographer to Louis XIII. He converted to Catholicism and took up a position as professor of rhetoric at the Collège de Boncourt (University of Paris). In 1622, Louis XIII created a chart of mathematics specifically for Bertius and named him his royal historian. He died in Paris in 1629.
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