Philipp Apian - Cartography

Cartography

In 1554, Duke Albrecht of Bavaria orders Apian to create a map of Bavaria for the Bairische Chronik of Johannes Aventinus written 1526 to 1533. In seven years, Apian travelled through Oberbayern and Niederbayern, Oberpfalz, Archbishopric Salzburg and Bishopric Eichstätt. After two years work, a 5 x 5 meter sized map in scale 1:45.000 was finished, to be coloured by Bartel Refinger.

Having been in the residence's library since 1563, it was destroyed by a fire in 1782.

Smaller Bairische Landtafeln based on the map were ordered by Philipp Apian in 1566 from Jost Amman as 24 tables of scale 1:144.000 anfertigen. It is said that the accuracy was only surpassed in 19th century and that Napoléon Bonaparte used them when invading Bavaria.

Abraham Ortelius published them as ex tabula Philippi Apiani.