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Antique maps > europe > low countries - belgium > Antique map - bird's-eye view of Louvain (Leuven) by Braun and Hogenberg

Loeven - Lovanium Perantiqua Brabantiae Urbs ... - Braun & Hogenberg, 1572-1624.



Bird's-eye view of Louvain (Leuven)

TRANSLATION OF CARTOUCHE TEXT: Louvain is a very old city in Brabant, which before Julius Caesar was a small town surrounded by walls and was subsequently expanded to such an extent that the town now has a circumference of four Italian miles. This has been encouraged by the location and good healthy air of the city, which is also notably embellished by the magnificent church of St Peter's, the fine town hall, the very tall school, the plentiful waters of the River Dijle and finally the old castle built by Julius Caesar.

COMMENTARY BY BRAUN: "Louvain is the capital of Brabant; it possesses a university whose student numbers are no less than Paris; it is a daughter of the University of Cologne, but has grown clearly larger than its mother. Along the rampart in the direction of Mechelen lies a very old castle, which served for the entertainment of the princes and for the administration of the citizens. Opposite it on the right is a castle with a very tall tower, from where on a clear day you can see for eight miles, as far as Antwerp; this tower is commonly known as "Lost Fare"."

This engraving shows the Belgian city of Louvain in side view, set within a hilly landscape and surrounded by an extensive city wall. On a grassy slope on the left stands the castle (Borcht); below it, further left again, the tall viewing tower (Verloren Cost) forms an integral part of the city wall. Other striking features in the cityscape include the unusual tower of Sint-Gertrudis, with its openwork stone steeple, and the church of Sint-Pieters opposite the town hall in the city centre. (Taschen)

The engraving is made after a woodcut in Guicciardini's Descrittione di tutti Paesi Bassi, 1567.

Date of this print: 1572-1624
Date of the first edition: 1572

Copper engraving
Size: 12.5 x 48cm (4.9 x 18.7 inches)
Verso text: Latin
Condition: Old coloured, excellent.
Condition Rating: A
References: Van der Krogt 4, 1786, State 2 (With privilege); Taschen, Braun and Hogenberg, p. 57.

From: Civitates Orbis Terrarum, ... Part 1. Köln, 1572-1624. (Van der Krogt 4, 41:1.1)

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Item number: 04234
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