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Nice example of Valk and Schenk's map of the region centered on the Upper Rhine River.

The map is oriented with east at the top and tracks the course of the Rhine River from Lauffenberg, Rheinblden and Basel in Switzerland to Speyer and includes over 20 coats of arms.

The map covers the Upper Rhine River region, including territories primarily under the control of the Margraviate of Baden, along with surrounding duchies, landgraviates, and counties that were historically associated with the ruling Baden princes.  

The lower-left inset of the map, credited to Johann Morell and Daniel Beuch of Regensburg, who produced an important map of the region in the 1660s. The image provides a schematic diagram of triangulation methods used for calculating distances and geographic measurements, employing both geometric and arithmetic principles. The title Exemplum seu Tabula Geometricae Arithmeticae et Mechanicae operationis indicates that this inset showcases the mathematical and mechanical operations used to create the accurate geometrical delineation of the map.

The diagram includes several circles and intersecting lines, demonstrating the triangulation methods employed to calculate distances between key cities, such as Baden, Strasbourg, and Basel. These measurements are noted in passus, a unit of distance, with the distances between cities like Beinheim, Ettlingen, and Breisach meticulously calculated. The table to the right of the schematic provides further breakdowns of the altitude of key stations (Statio in altitudine), calculated using triangulation, revealing a highly technical aspect of the cartographer’s work.

This type of inset reflects the increasing importance of scientific accuracy in cartography during the late 17th century. The inclusion of geometric calculations highlights how mathematical rigor was becoming integrated into mapmaking, ensuring that political and territorial claims could be underpinned by scientifically precise measurements. This effort to blend artistic representation with scientific precision was emblematic of the period’s Enlightenment ideals. 

In the second half of the 17th century, the Upper Rhine was a politically charged region, marked by the tumultuous conflicts of the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) and the subsequent territorial disputes that reshaped much of Central Europe. The Margraviate of Baden, particularly divided into Baden-Baden and Baden-Durlach, was located along this key frontier. The Peace of Westphalia, which concluded the Thirty Years' War, granted legal recognition to the fragmented German states within the Holy Roman Empire, including the margraviates along the Rhine. However, the region remained a strategic and contested zone, especially with the expansionist ambitions of France under Louis XIV.

During this period, France's annexation of Alsace and its incursions into neighboring territories, including Baden, heightened tensions. The region was also affected by the War of the Palatinate Succession (1688–1697), also known as the Nine Years' War, during which much of the Palatinate and Baden suffered from French military campaigns. This geopolitical instability is reflected in the map's detailed illustration of military fortifications, strategic roads, and rivers that were essential for defense and transportation in an era of near-constant conflict.