TRANSLATION OF CARTOUCHE TEXT: A true-to-life drawing of the Lower Saxton town of Hannoversch Münden on the River Werra.

COMMENTARY BY BRAUN (on the verso): "Münden, an ancient town in Saxony, is ideally situated for trade and commerce because it is at the confluence of several famous rivers. [...] Because Münden abounds in water and boasts many ships, goods shipped down the River Weser from Bremen can be brought here even from the heart of Germany and, conversely, sent back there, merchants tend to settle here."

The raised vantage point underscores the location of Münden at the confluence of the Rivers Fulda and Werra, which made the town eminently suited to trade and commerce. Together they form the Weser, whose navigability is confirmed by many barges. The town, first mentioned in records in AD 837, had the right to make traders leave goods for storage here and was the most important port for river trade between central Germany and Bremen. In addition, important trade routes converged here, as shown by the covered bridge over the Werra. The apparel worn by the figures depicted in the foreground is in the royal colours blue, red and gold to emphasize the prosperity of the townspeople. The large 13th-century church of St Giles stands out within the walled town. From the 15th century, Münden had its own jurisdiction, which the gallows top right symbolizes. The Hannoversch Münden Old Town, which is intact, today, is one of the finest extant examples of a medieval town. (Taschen)

Braun G. & Hogenberg F. and the Civitates Orbis Terrarum.

The Civitates Orbis Terrarum, or the "Braun & Hogenberg", is a six-volume town atlas and the most excellent book of town views and plans ever published: 363 engravings, sometimes beautifully coloured. It was one of the best-selling works in the last quarter of the 16th century. Georg Braun wrote the text accompanying the plans and views on the verso. Many plates were engraved after the original drawings of a professional artist, a professional artist, Joris Hoefnagel (1542-1600). The first volume was published in Latin in 1572, and the sixth in 1617. Frans Hogenberg created the tables for volumes I through IV, and Simon van den Neuwel made those for volumes V and VI. Other contributors were cartographers Daniel Freese and Heinrich Rantzau. Works by Jacob van Deventer, Sebastian Münster, and Johannes Stumpf were also used. Translations appeared in German and French.

Following the original publication of Volume 1 of the Civitates in 1572, seven further editions of 1575, 1577, 1582, 1588, 1593, 1599 and 1612 can be identified. Vol.2, first issued in 1575, was followed by further editions in 1597 and 1612. The subsequent volumes appeared in 1581, 1588, 1593, 1599 and 1606. The German translation of the first volume appeared from 1574 on, and the French edition from 1575 on.

Several printers were involved: Theodor Graminaeus, Heinrich von Aich, Gottfried von Kempen, Johannis Sinniger, Bertram Buchholtz and Peter von Brachel, who all worked in Cologne.

Georg Braun (1541-1622)

Georg Braun was born in Cologne in 1541. After his studies in Cologne, he entered the Jesuit Order as a novice. 1561, he obtained his bachelor's degree, and in 1562, he received his Magister Artium. Although he left the Jesuit Order, he studied theology, gaining a licentiate in theology.

Frans Hogenberg (1535-1590)

Frans Hogenberg was a Flemish and German painter, engraver, and mapmaker. He was born in Mechelen as the son of Nicolaas Hogenberg.

By the end of the 1560s, Frans Hogenberg was employed upon Abraham Ortelius's Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, published in 1570; he is named an engraver of numerous maps. In 1568, he was banned from Antwerp by the Duke of Alva and travelled to London, where he stayed a few years before emigrating to Cologne. He immediately embarked on his two most important works, the Civitates, published in 1572 and the Geschichtsblätter, which appeared in several series from 1569 until about 1587.

Thanks to large-scale projects like the Geschichtsblätter and the Civitates, Hogenberg's social circumstances improved with each passing year. He died as a wealthy man in Cologne in 1590.