Ancient map of Augsburg, 1572

AVGVSTA IVXTA FIGVRAM QVAM HIS CE TEMPORIBVS HABET DELINEATA is an exceptional sixteenth-century panoramic view of Augsburg, created by the renowned cartographic team of Georg Braun and Frans Hogenberg. Published in 1572 as part of the monumental Civitates Orbis Terrarum, the first major atlas devoted exclusively to city views, the engraving provides a remarkable visual record of one of the most prosperous urban centers of Renaissance Europe. The title translates roughly as “Augsburg depicted according to the form it possesses in these times,” emphasizing the creators’ intention to document the city as accurately as possible. Presented from an elevated bird’s-eye perspective, the engraving reveals Augsburg’s extensive fortifications, dense urban fabric, churches, civic buildings, streets, and public squares. The city's carefully organized layout reflects its status as a major commercial and financial hub within the Holy Roman Empire. During the sixteenth century, Augsburg was one of Europe’s wealthiest cities, home to influential merchant and banking families such as the Fugger Family and the Welser Family. Their economic influence extended throughout Europe and beyond, helping transform Augsburg into a center of trade, finance, and culture. The city’s prosperity is evident in the engraving’s depiction of numerous churches, grand residences, and substantial civic architecture. The work exemplifies the combination of geographic observation and artistic craftsmanship that characterized Renaissance cartography. Fine engraving, detailed architectural rendering, and carefully composed landscapes create an image that is both informative and visually impressive. Human figures, roads, and surrounding agricultural lands add life and context to the urban panorama. Today, AVGVSTA IVXTA FIGVRAM QVAM HIS CE TEMPORIBVS HABET DELINEATA remains an invaluable historical document, preserving the appearance of Renaissance Augsburg while illustrating the ambition and sophistication of one of the most important cartographic publishing projects of the sixteenth century. Find more maps of Georg Braun & Frans Hogenberg