Since the first half of the 19th century, the scale of 1:25,000 was surveying standard in Germany. Due to the classical surveying method using a table above a survey point, it is also called a "Messtischblatt" and, according to the scale ratio (one kilometer in nature corresponds to four centimeters on the map), a "four-centimeter map”. Land surveying was the task of the individual states in the German Empire, with beginnings at different times. There were also differences in the design. After World War I, an imperial office took over the task of land surveying and standardized the map layout. Each "Messtischblatt" shows an area of about one hundred square kilometers. The earliest sheets from the 19th century are black-and-white prints, later as multicolored editions. Because of their information density, the "Messtischblätter" are outstanding sources for the historical geography of the German Empire. By comparing different editions, TK 25 is excellent for interpreting cultural landscape change since the 19th century. In the indexing of the sheets, landscapes, rivers and lakes were included as geographica. In addition, all localities are indexed, you can search for any place in the German Empire in the online catalog.

open collection