Memory of the World; 2012 - unesdoc - Unesco

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Tabula Hungariae
Inscribed 2007
What is it
A 16th-century map of the Carpathian basin.
Why was it inscribed
This unique map depicts in detail the territory and
settlements that now fall within the boundaries of a
number of European nations; and a geopolitical situation
that no longer exists. It is unique and irreplaceable, and
has considerable significance for its form, style and
aesthetic qualities. Its accuracy and detailed nature have
made it a key tool in current environmental mapping in
the 21st century.
Where is it
National Széchényi Library, Budapest, Hungary
This document is a map representing faithfully and
in great detail the structure of settlements that could
be found on the territory of the Hungarian Kingdom
(corresponding to the territory of modern Hungary,
Slovakia and including parts of modern Austria, Ukraine,
Romania, Serbia/Montenegro, Croatia and Slovenia). Many
settlements disappeared during the Turkish wars of the
16th century fought there, making this representation
particularly important.
For several centuries, researchers and other interested
persons had only an indirect knowledge of this document.
It reappeared in public in the 1880s, when the collector
Sándor Apponyi acquired it. He later offered it (in 1924)
to the National Library, which included it in its collection
of rare and historical works.
As is clear from the title, the Tabula Hungariae was
a collective work. The Hungarian Lazarus Secretarius
made the surveys on which the map was based (with
assistance from Jacob Ziegler) and probably supplied a
draft of the map; Apian’s mentor Tanstetter (Collimitus), an
accomplished cartographer, put it into proper shape and
completed it by adding data of his own and a scale; and
Cuspinianus published the map or authorized the funds
for it and dedicated it to the king. He also contributed
some place names, mainly taken from classical sources.
The Lazarus/Ziegler/Tanstetter/Cuspinianus/Apian map
of Hungary was the first one made of the Carpathian basin
164 Tabula Hungariae
and was copied and adapted in numerous later maps.
Among these are the maps by Augustin Hirschvogel (1552),
Wolfgang Lazius (1556) and that published anonymously by
Vavasore in Venice.
It has outstanding aesthetic and stylistic value due to the
combined application of woodcutting techniques and use
of movable characters in printing. The style is particularly
attractive and unique thanks to the skills of Peter Apian.
His son, Philipp Apian prepared a map of Bavaria in the
same way in the 16th century.
The map is also a good example of the way in which a
general view of a complete kingdom’s administration
could be shown at the end of the medieval period.
The reproduction of such maps by printing differed
substantially from the techniques applied in reproducing
other kinds of graphical works, due to the need of
presenting place names in a readable way. The difficulties
related to this task were overcome by Peter Apian when
he developed stereotype printing. With this technique the
textual components, in particular the place names, were
castled in lead and put at the appropriate place in form of
small plates. This allowed the cartographer to create a very
elegant and readable style of map.