This open access resource provides links to collections of primary historical documents that are transcribed, reproduced in facsimile, or translated. The documents cover a broad range of historical events (political, economic, social, and cultural) in each of the 49 European countries. Arranged chronologically, documents include videos, sound files, databases, and maps.
Europeana is a major digital cultural heritage platform, financed by the European Union. Over 3,000 European archives, libraries and museums contributed approximately 50 million digitized items. “Maps and geography” collection is composed of digitized maps of a broad range of European cultural institutions.
The French National Library (BnF) lists more than 62,000 maps from the 14th to the 19th century in its digital library. National maps can be accessed by country and general maps by century.
The Harvard Map Collection, one of the oldest and largest collections of cartographic materials in the United States, includes print map collection with more than 400,000 print maps, from the 15 century to the present and thousands of digitized maps. Provides access to maps of Central and Eastern Europe, including early works up to the year 1800. Harvard Geospatial Library provides access to geographic data and georeferenced maps.
Herder Institute for Historical Eastern Central European Research: Topographic Maps
This resource provides access to topographical maps of the Herder Institute (currently 278 titles with around 36,000 sheets), from the 19th to the 20th century.
Intermediate Map of Europe [Kőztes Európa térképtár]
Collection of historical maps of Europe, 1763-1993. In Hungarian.
A portal for maps from Switzerland’s libraries and archives, it provides access to a large number of digitized maps of Eastern, Central and Southern Europe.
Cartographic collections include print maps of Eastern and Central Europe and Imperial and Soviet Russia; some are digitized.
A Europeana sub-aggregator of historical resources, this portal makes accessible digitized manuscripts, incunabula, early printed books, and maps.
A cooperative initiative in digitization, georeferencing and visualization among a number of European archives, cultural and scientific institutions, the resource provides access to country, urban, cadastral, and thematic maps of the 17th to the 20th century Europe. The resource allows to view maps in 3D and compare in synchronized viewer.
Osmikon: Das Forschungsportal zu Ost-, Ostmittel- und Südosteuropa
The central search entry point for materials on Eastern, Eastern Central and South Eastern Europe allows simultaneous search in German and international library catalogs, bibliographies and special databases for materials such as books, articles, images and maps relating to Eastern, Eastern Central and South Eastern Europe. The section on maps of this research portal recommends digital map collections and geographic databases for Eastern, Eastern Central and South Eastern Europe.
This open access resource provides access to The David Rumsey Map Collection of over 98,000 digitized items, including maps and atlases from Central Europe and Eurasia. Users can create their own cartographic collections and view items with the help of various software tools provided by the resource.
Gesher Galicia provides access to Jewish genealogical and historical sources. Some materials include archival vital records and census books, Holocaust-period records, Josephine and Franciscan cadastral surveys, lists of Jewish taxpayers, and records of Galician medical students and doctors, searchable through a database. The digital Map Room is “a spin-off of the Gesher Galicia Cadastral Map and Land Owner Records Project, a long-term research project to acquire and publish land and building records in the former Austro-Hungarian province of Galicia, now Poland and Ukraine. The project inventory is large, a portion of which contains maps which are useful to historians and genealogists studying Galicia.” This resource also provides general information about mapping in the Galician region of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, description of how this collection of historic maps was assembled, as well as an inventory of newly added maps.
The World Digital Library (WDL)
The WDL is an initiative supported by the U.S. Library of Congress, United Nations Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (UNESCO), as well as libraries and other cultural institutions around the world. It provides access to primary materials from various countries. These include books, manuscripts, maps, newspapers, journals, prints and photographs, sound recordings, and films. Materials can be browsed by place, time, topic, type of item, language, and contributing institution.
University Library Bern Map Collection
The collection contains digitized maps from the 16th to the 19th century. Some of the examples include the Ryhiner Collection, the map of the City Republic of Bern by Thomas Schoepf or the Atlas of Switzerland by Meyer-Weiss.
University of Chicago Library's Map Collection
The resource provides access to a selection of the 18th century maps of Central Europe that are held at the University of Chicago Library's Map Collection. Many of the maps are by well-known German cartographers including most especially Johann Baptist Homann, Petrus Schenk, Matthias Seutter, and others.
European Historic Towns Atlases [Europäische Städteatlanten]
This interactive map project provides access to bibliographic information and links to European Historic Towns Atlases and shows the distribution of cities covered by European Historic Towns Atlases. The interface is in German, French and English.
GeoPortOst provides access to more than 3,000 maps of Eastern and Southeastern Europe, with more than 2,000 of them georeferenced. The collection focuses on thematic maps (history, ethnography and the economic and social conditions of the region). Within the framework of GeoPortOst, the group library of over 100 links and references to mapping and GIS projects on Eastern and South-Eastern Europe is available at https://www.zotero.org/groups/497722/geoportost_mapreferences
The MAPA: Digital Atlas of Ukraine Programme
The MAPA: Digital Atlas of Ukraine program is the initiative by the Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University and its partners, that pairs the use of GIS with studies of Ukrainian history and political geography. Projects under this initiative include The Historic Podillya in the late Middle Ages, The Rus’ Genealogy, The Great Famine projects, as well as GIS based research undertakings about contemporary Ukraine, for example, The Revolution of Dignity and The Independent Ukraine projects.
Translocation Plans of Jewish Residences in the Lands of the Bohemian Crown (1727–1728)
The result of cooperation between the National Archives of the Czech Republic and the Research Instiute of Geodesy, Topography and Cartography, the Jewish settlement plans from the 17th century (designated as Archival Cultural Heritage) are made available as a unique cartographic connection.
The digital map collection includes more than 60,000 historical maps of the Czech Republic; some are georeferenced and available to view in 3D. The interface is in Czech and English.
e-Albanica provides access to rare works of the Albanian National Library, manuscripts, periodicals, and maps of the 15th to the 19th century. In Albanian and other languages.
This resource provides links to primary historical documents, including documents, bibliographies, and maps.
The National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina (NUBBiH)
Digitized atlases and maps are a part of special collections which, along with cartographic materials, include old and rare books and periodicals, manuscript collection, and documents. The interface is in Bosnian.
The St. Cyril and St. Methodius National Library [Narodna Biblioteka sv. sv. Kiril i Metodii]
The cartographic collection of the National Library of Bulgaria, established in 1948, contains over 10,000 atlases, maps and globes. The collection supports the study of history, geography and ethnography of Bulgaria and the countries of the Balkan Peninsula, and Europe. Some materials of the collection are digitized.
National and University Library, Zagreb [Nacionalna i sveucilisna knjiznica u Zagrebu]
The map collection, established in 1945, comprises nearly 42,000 maps, almost 1,500 atlases, and approximately 600 books in the accompanying reference library. Over 70% of the collection’s holdings refer to the area of the Central, South and South-East Europe. Half of the materials represent the areas of Croatia. The collection also holds the reference library containing works in the field of cartography and specialized librarianship. The collection's digitized cartograhic material is available as part of the NSK Digital Collections portal.
National Archives of the Czech Republic
The website provides access to recently digitized oldest cadastral maps of municipalities in the territory of the former country of the mid-19th century Province Bohemia, the so-called Indication Sketches of the Stable Cadastre. The project of the National Archives of the Czech Republic, the resource makes available scans of approximately 9,138 maps; the originals will no longer be provided to researchers. The database for accessing the indication sketches is available on the website of the Czech Office for Land Surveying and Cadastre, under the section Stable Cadastre, Digitized Sketches. In Czech.
Digital Map Collection, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague
Map and atlas collection of the Faculty of Natural History of Charles University in Prague.
An archive of digital-born material published by Estonian public and state institutions, it contains maps from the early 20th century to the present. In Estonian.
Digital Collections of Finland National Library
Vast numbers of newspapers, periodicals, small printed items and books contained in the rich collections of the National Library of Finland have now been digitized to form a fascinating material that throws light on the past and present as parts of Finn national identity.
The Budapest City Archive preserves 21,000 meters of material, from this 1,200 meters originates before the year 1800. Map database of the Budapest City Archives provides access to digitized collection materials and interactive maps. The interface is in Hungarian, English, and German.
This database provides access to digitized archival cartographic materials, mostly hand drawn, with oldest holdings dating back to 16th century, based on collections of the National Széchényi Library and the Institute and Museum of Military History.
A collection of digital maps from the Cartographic Collection of the National Library of Latvia includes a considerable number of historical maps of Latvia. In Latvian and English.
The Latvian National Digital Library
The Latvian National Digital Library provides access to digitized collections of the NLL and partner organizations. Digitized holdings include newspapers, maps, books, sheet-music, audio recordings and pictures.
The Wrublewski Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences
The electronic archive of the Wrublewski Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences contains digitized documents such as cultural heritage and scientific sources, old books and periodicals, manuscripts, old postcards, drawings, photographs, and approximately 500 maps.
The National Library of Romania
This open access resource provides links to collections of primary historical documents that are transcribed, reproduced in facsimile, or translated. The documents cover a broad range of historical events (political, economic, social, and cultural) in each of the 49 European countries. Arranged chronologically, documents include videos, sound files, databases, and maps.
Digital Libraries Federation [Federacja bibliotek cyfrowych]
Digital Libraries Federation is a portal created by several major academic libraries and cultural institutions in Poland. The website gives free, unrestricted access to over 17,000 digitized maps of Poland and East and Central Europe. The interface is in Polish and English. This resource allows for searching content across multiple databases of member institutions. The resource also provides access to various interactive collections and exhibitions, such as a collection of European maps from from the 15th to the 20th century.
Digital Library of Poland [Polona]
The digitized maps section of National Library of Poland includes 13,000 maps and atlases. In Polish.
Digital Library of Wrocław University
Cartographic materials are part of the Wrocław University “Cultural Heritage” Collection which also includes digital copies of manuscripts, old printed books, books, serials, ephemeras, pamphlets, music materials, drawings, photographs, and prints. Cartographic materials contain digital copies of maps, charts, atlases, street plans and pictures of towns. The territories covered are Silesia, Lausitz and Germany.
The resource provides access to broad range Polish historical records, including civil registars, vital records, and maps. Filters allow to narrow search results by “only collections with scans,” date, place of publication, language, etc. Filters can be added at collection, units’, and items’ levels. At item level, cartographic material could be filtered according to type of map based on scale, purpose, and content.
The Silesian Digital Library provides access to the digitized prints, manuscripts, pamphlets, graphic materials, and maps, free of charge to non-commercial users.
The Jagiellonian Digital Library
This resource provides access to over 1,000 digitized maps and atlases based on cartography collections of Jagiellonian University.
The Maps of Western Poland [Archiwum Map Zachodniej Polski]
Materials in this resource include digitized maps of the cartographic archive of the Faculty of Geographical and Geological Sciences of the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan.
Created on the basis of the digitized assets of the State Public Historical Library of Russia (GPIB), BIBLIOPHIKA includes the laws of the Russian Empire; historical, geographical, and ethnographical sources; and books on genealogy, heraldry, history, and culture. It provides access to approximately 500 maps and plans.
Boris Yeltsin Presidential Library
The map section of the collection “Territory of Russia” contains maps reflecting the natural, historical, political, economic features of the development of the Russian territory, routes of scientific expeditions, plans of individual settlements. A separate selection of works on cartography is highlighted. Since the Irkutsk Regional State Universal Scientific Library made a significant contribution to the collection, the largest number of materials relates to Siberia. Some maps are digitized. In Russian and English.
Digital Library of State Public Historical Library of Russia
The digital holdings of State Public Historical Library of Russia is a collection of documents and materials on Russian and world history. It contains publications on genealogy and heraldry, the history of military affairs, sources on the history, ethnography and geography of Russia. This is an open digital resource created on the basis of digitized funds of the State Public Historical Library of Russia. The cartographic holdings include over 1,500 maps and atlases.
This resource provides links to various digital collections, including cartographic, focusing on the history of exploration and settlement of the Russian Far North and Siberia. In English and Russian.
The goal of the collection of more than 3, 700 maps and atlases of the Internet portal Runivers is to “return historical maps to the wide cultural use.” More than half of the collection is military maps including maps of campaigns, battles and theatres of military operations. Other materials include medieval, urban and special interest maps.
Russian State Library [Rossiskaia gosudarstvennaia biblioteka]
The collection of cartographic works is the largest in Russia and one of the most representative in the world. Collections include domestic handwritten maps and atlases, facsimile and handwritten copies of ancient Russian drawings; the first maps and atlases of the Russian state, provinces (governorates), counties, various regions of the country; examples of military and popular maps and atlases. Part of the Digital Library items is open to the general public.
The resource provides access to military, administrative and archeological maps of Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, and USSR.
The National Library of Russia
The cartography fonds of the National Library of Russia is the second largest in Russia. It contains Russian materials from the 18th century to the present; as well as international documents from the 15th century. It is composed of over 200,000 of cartographic publications and about 5,000 electronic publications. The collection includes maps, atlases, reproductions of handwritten materials, globes, and digital cartographic publications. In Russian.
The Russian North Digital Library
Collection of historical documents from the northern region of Russia. The Russian North Digital Library provides access to local history documents in digital format. It includes materials from collections of the N. A. Dobroliubov Arkhangelsk Regional Scientific Library and from collections of other institutions. The website makes accessible a small collection of maps and atlases as well as links to other web-resources about history and geography of the Russian North.
Digital National Library of Serbia
Digital copies of atlases and maps from the collection of cartographic material of special funds of the National Library of Serbia.
A web portal providing access to digitized resources such as journals, books, manuscripts, maps, photographs, music and reference material. The map section includes approximately 700 maps in a variety of European languages. Searchable by language, date, location, content, publisher and copyright. In English and Slovenian.
Center for Urban History of East Central Europe, Lviv
Urban Maps Digital collection of the Center for Urban History of East Central Europe in Lviv contains digitized historic maps of cities and towns of East Central Europe. Maps can be browsed by time period, location and collection, and some are accompanied by detailed entries.
Digital Library of the Institute of Ukrainian History, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
Digital Library of the Institute of Ukrainian History, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, provides access to periodicals, monographs, and cartographic resources in various European languages.
The website offers open access to a variety of primary sources related to the history of Ukraine from the 9th to the 18th century. The idea behind the project was to gather the largest possible number of works of Ukrainian literature, chronicles and historical documents from different periods and authors. Includes digitized historical and linguistic maps.
V. I. Vernads’kyi National Library of Ukraine [Natsionalna Biblioteka Ukrainy imeni Vernadskoho]
The Vernadsky National Library is the major library of Ukraine. The collection contains more than 15 million items and the site provides access to all library catalogues. Some cartographic collections are digitized and are searchable by keyword, author, title, date in Ukrainian.
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