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Antique maps > europe > central europe > Antique map of (Hungary) Esztergom by Braun & Hogenberg

Strigonium. Gran - Braun & Hogenberg, 1598.



Antique map - two views of Esztergom (Hungary) by Braun & Hogenberg after G. Hoefnagel's son, 1595.

COMMENTARY BY BRAUN (on verso): "Esztergom, also called Gran, is a town in Lower Hungary on the right bank of the Danube [...]. It is the seat of an archbishop, all the more praiseworthy because the archbishop of Gran crowns the kings of Hungary in a special ceremony. [...] The kings used to hold court here on account of its secure fortifications and also its protected apartments. Above the town, on the summit of the hill, lies a castle. [...] The town is embellished in particular by its cathedral, which is dedicated to St Adalbert the Martyr."

The town of Esztergom, ravaged by the Turks in 1542, is presented from two viewpoints. The top illustration is seen from the east and shows the castle ruins overlooking the town at the confluence of the Hron and the Danube. The bottom illustration shows the destroyed Lower Town and the castle from the west. In the left-hand foreground, on the left bank of the Danube, lies the similarly razed village of Parkany (M). In the Middle Ages Esztergom was one of the most important royal palaces and the seat of the archbishops of Esztergom. In the 12th century King Béla III of Hungary made Esztergom his sole residence and confirmed the town as the centre of political and cultural life in Hungary during this era. With the relocation of the royal residence to Visegrad, Esztergom and the palace passed into possession of the archbishop; indeed, the Primate of Hungary continues to reside in the town even today. In the 16th century Esztergom was reduced to a small provincial town following its conquest by the Turks, in whose hands it remained until 1683. Not until the 18th century and the return of the archbishops from their exile in Trnava did the town flourish anew. (Taschen).

Date of the first edition: 1596
Date of this map: 1596 
Date on map: 1595

Copper engraving
Size: 35 x 51.5cm (13.7 x 20.1 inches)
Verso text: Latin
Condition: Old coloured, excellent.
Condition Rating: A
References: Van der Krogt 4, 1274; Taschen, Braun and Hogenberg, p.416.

From: Urbium Praecipuarum Mundi Theatrum Quintum Auctore Georgio Braunio Agrippinate. Part 5. Köln, 1596/97. (Van der Krogt 4, 41:1.5)

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Item number: 22109
Price: 680 Euro

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