1730 Homann plan and view of Gdansk, Poland

This is Johann Baptist Homann's map of Gdansk (here in the German 'Dantzig') and its immediate vicinity, first engraved and published about 1716. The east-oriented map portrays not only the walled city of Gdansk, but also the districts immediately to the East: the Gdansk Werder and the Marienburger Werder.

Dutch Settlements

The Danzig Werder and the Marienburer Werder constitute the center of the Vistula-Nogat delta. Much of the land they encompass lies from three to seven feet below sea level. Beginning in the 14th century, dikes were built on both sides of the Vistula allowing the land of the Werden to be cultivated, although the Vistula periodically broke through the dikes, and for much of the 16th century these areas were desolate and covered with water. In 1547, Dutch Mennonites proposed to move in and reclaim the land at their own expense. The Gdansk city council allowed the first settlers to establish a village at Reichenberg, now known as Bogatka (on the inland bank of the Martwa Wisła). Other villages were to follow. They were successful, and by 1575 the grain exports leaving Gdansk quadrupled. Dutch influence also extended to the introduction of superior Dutch breeds of cattle and horses. Their settlements, as well as the canals and windmills established to continue the water removal process, can be seen here.

The View

At the bottom center of the engraving is an eastern-oriented prospect of Gdansk itself as seen from the heights to the west of the city. The image is crowned with the City Arms of Gdansk. Its churches, government buildings, and markets are identified by a numbered key. A note in the text indicates that the Swedish armies (besieging the city during the Second Northern War) overtook the city in 1657 by the expedient of breaching the dam and flooding the area.

Allegorical Engraving

The map is embellished with two attractive vignettes. In the lower right is a busy harbor scene. In the background, ships come and go, while, in the foreground, merchants in the garb of many nations haggle over cargo and coin, proclaiming the simple message that in this city and its surrounds, money can be made.

The left vignette is rather different. The seated woman with a fasces and a mural crown is an Italia Turrita, who originally represented Rome but later would be applied to represent cities generally. But rather than martial implements, this Italia is surrounded by instruments of astronomy: a telescope, a celestial globe, and an azimuthal quadrant. This is in reference to Gdansk's famous former city councilor and mayor, Johannes Hevelius (1611 - 1687). Hevelius was an illustrious astronomer, still hailed as the founder of lunar topography. His Gdansk observatory was the largest such institution in Europe until its 1679 destruction by fire. The quadrant pictured here was built by Hevelius, as was the long, suspended telescope - The image does not do justice to the device, it was forty-six meters long!

Publication History and Census

This map was engraved as early as 1712 for inclusion in the Homann atlases. There are several states of the plate, which shows evidence of having been reworked in addition to its having Homann's Imperial Privilege appended. The separate map is well represented in institutional collections and appears occasionally on the market.