CARTOUCHE RIGHT: A new and faithful view of the city of Salzburg.

COMMENTARY BY BRAUN: "Salzburg is an exceedingly impressive city in Bavaria, encircled by substantial ring walls, towers and bastions, and very well appointed with both public and private houses. Salzburg was formerly a royal seat and, during this time, furnished its churches very splendidly with marble and thus distinguished itself far above other cities. When Julius Caesar wished to defeat the Germans, he had a fortified castle built on top of the mountain that was to serve as a base for his soldiers and from which he wished to assist his allies. Hence this castle was named Castrum Juvaviense, in German Helfenburg."

This second engraving of Salzburg in the Civitates goes back to the same origin as the first one. The impression of spaciousness does not correspond to the actual appearance of the city wedged between the Mönchsberg and the Kapuzinerberg. Braun refers to the legendary history of Salzburg, according to which it was founded by Julius Caesar. Salzburg was first mentioned in records in AD 755 as a trading settlement; in 996, it was granted the right to hold a market and mint its own coins, and in 1287 it received its municipal charter. From the 16th century onwards, Salzburg played an important role as a city of trade and as the residence of the prince-archbishops. The magnificent cathedral (15) seen here at the centre of the city dates from the time of Bishop Conrad III. Following a devastating fire in 1598, Archbishop Wolf Dietrich of Raitenau had 55 townhouses demolished in order to make space for a new cathedral and a grander street plan. The new cathedral in the Baroque style continues to leave its stamp on the face of Salzburg even today.

The engraving is made after a drawing by an unknown artist in 1553, which was used both for the woodcut in Münster's Cosmographia and the map of Austria in Ortelius's Theatrum Orbis Terrarum. (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 greatest 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 of the plates were engraved after the original drawings of Joris Hoefnagel (1542-1600), a professional artist. 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 next 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. In 1561, he obtained his bachelor's degree and in 1562 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.