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Fine early birdseye view of the city of Bruges (Brugge) in Belgium, surrounded by ramparts and windmills.
The view offers a plan-like perspective from a northwesterly direction, emphasizing Bruges' layout and major landmarks. At the center lies the market square, anchored by the cloth hall and its iconic belfry, a symbol of Bruges’ civic pride. Nearby, the Gothic Church of Our Lady (Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk), final resting place of Charles the Bold and Mary of Burgundy, stands out with its towering spire. Windmills surrounding the city symbolize its integration of urban planning with its natural and economic environment. The canals crisscrossing the city highlight its identity as the "Venice of the North," underscoring its historical reliance on waterborne trade.
The lower-left cartouche extols Bruges as "the most beautiful and elegant German city in Flanders," praising the city's architectural grandeur and its strategic circular layout, fortified with double moats. While Bruges’ past as a flourishing commercial hub is highlighted, the text also alludes to its decline due to the silting of waterways and the departure of Hanseatic merchants. The top-center cartouche succinctly declares Bruges as "the pride of the cities of Flanders," a reflection of its enduring cultural and historical legacy despite economic challenges.
Georg Braun, in his commentary on the verso, explores Bruges’ etymology and its historical role as a trade nexus. He notes the city’s origins as a defensive stronghold established by Baldouin II in the 9th century and its rise to prominence in the 12th century following a flood that provided direct access to the North Sea. Bruges’ marketplace, surrounded by opulent houses and radiating streets leading to city gates, is identified as a focal point of urban life. Braun acknowledges the city's decline, attributing it to both geographical and economic factors, yet celebrates its historical significance as a cradle of trade and innovation, including the establishment of the first stock exchange.
Civitates Orbis Terrarum: The Greatest City Book
Georg Braun and Frans Hogenberg began the process of creating a comprehensive atlas of the cities of the world in 1572. Their book, Civitates Orbis Terrarum, was originally intended as a companion to Abraham Ortelius's Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, the first true atlas.
The great atlas was edited by Georg Braun, with Franz Hogenberg engraving many of the views. When the project was finished, the series would contain over 546 views (sometimes with multiple views on a single plate).
Civitates Orbis Terrarum includes the work of over 100 artists and topographers, perhaps most notable among them was the superlative talent of Joris Hoefnagel (1542-1600). He provided original drawings of Spanish and Italian towns, as well as reworking and improving the town drawings of other artists. After Joris's death, his son Jakob continued the project.
The Civitates provides an incredibly comprehensive view of urban life in the late 16th century. Many of the views in these volumes are the earliest of their respective towns -- either absolutely, or they are predated only by impossible rarities, as in the case of London. Cities portrayed range from the great capitals of Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas to small Swiss hamlets and other tiny villages. As such, this singular and indispensable source for understanding the early modern world.
The work was published in six volumes, each of which contained approximately sixty plates. The subject matter of each plate varied widely, it could provide a single view of a city, two views of the same city, or views of up to nine different cities. The range of designs is extensive, and it is interesting to compare the variety between views of the same city by two different authors.
Georg Braun (1541-1622) was born and died in Cologne. His primary vocation was as Catholic cleric; he spent thirty-seven years as canon and dean at the church St. Maria ad Gradus, in Cologne. Braun was the chief editor of the Civitates orbis terrarum, the greatest book of town views ever published. His job entailed hiring artists, acquiring source material for the maps and views, and writing the text. In this role, he was assisted by Abraham Ortelius. Braun lived into his 80s, and he was the only member of the original team to witness the publication of the sixth volume in 1617.
Frans Hogenberg (ca. 1540-ca. 1590) was a Flemish and German engraver and mapmaker who also painted. He was born in Mechelen, south of Antwerp, the son of wood engraver and etcher Nicolas Hogenberg. Together with his father, brother (Remigius), uncle, and cousins, Frans was one member of a prominent artistic family in the Netherlands.
During the 1550s, Frans worked in Antwerp with the famous mapmaker Abraham Ortelius. There, he engraved the maps for Ortelius’ groundbreaking first atlas, published in Antwerp in 1570, along with Johannes van Deotecum and Ambrosius and Ferdinand Arsenius. It is suspected he engraved the title page as well. Later, Ortelius supported Hogenberg with information for a different project, the Civitates orbis terrarium (edited by Georg Braun, engraved by Hogenberg, published in six volumes, Cologne, 1572-1617). Hogenberg engraved the majority of the work’s 546 prospects and views.
It is possible that Frans spent some time in England while fleeing from religious persecution, but he was living and working in Cologne by 1580. That is the city where he died around 1590. In addition to his maps, he is known for his historical allegories and portraits. His brother, Remigius, also went on to some fame as an engraver, and he died around the same time as his brother.
![[ Manuscript Atlas - War of the Grand Alliance ] Ordres Des Marches Et Des Batailles De L'Armee Du Roy Louis XIV Dans Les Provinces Belges Commandee Par Le Marechal Duc De Luxembourg Et Le Marquis De Boufllers ETC. ETC. En 1692. [Orders of Marches and Battles of the Army of King Louis XIV in the Belgian Provinces, Commanded by Marshal the Duke of Luxembourg and the Marquis de Boufflers, etc., etc., in 1692.]](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/112052.jpg)
