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Engraved map of Switzerland, published in Weimar in 1821 by the Geographisches Institut under the direction of cartographer Carl Ferdinand Weiland. The map presents the cantonal divisions of the Swiss Confederation following the territorial reorganizations of the early 19th century and reflects the federal structure that emerged after the Act of Mediation (1803) and the Congress of Vienna (1815). It offers a highly detailed and topographically expressive representation of the Swiss landscape during a period of renewed political consolidation and growing national identity.
Each canton is outlined in color according to a numerical index at upper right, listing 22 cantons and their chief towns. Relief is indicated through finely engraved hachures, rendering the Alpine regions, river systems, and passes with pronounced clarity. Major and minor cities are classified by population tiers, from 20,000 residents and above to market towns and rural settlements under 5,000 inhabitants, as detailed in the legend at lower left. Symbols also indicate post stations, abbeys, baths, mines, and various boundary types.
At lower right, a substantial inset table provides elevation data for key locations throughout Switzerland, listing altitudes above the Mediterranean Sea in Parisian feet, a common scientific convention at the time. This emphasis on vertical geography reflects growing scientific interest in alpine climatology and geodesy in the early 19th century.
Weiland’s map is part of the output of the Geographisches Institut in Weimar, which served as one of the leading centers of German-language cartographic production during the Vormärz period. Its synthesis of administrative, political, and physical data reflects the Enlightenment legacy of state-sponsored geographic knowledge, while also anticipating the rising nationalist and touristic interest in the Alps that would characterize Swiss and German map publishing in the decades to follow.
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Germaniae post omnes in hac forma . . .](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/105197.jpg)
