Justus Perthes: Das Thal von Katmandu
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Cartographer:
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Justus Perthes
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Title:
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Das Thal von Katmandu
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Date:
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1855
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Published:
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Gotha
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Width:
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7 inches / 18 cm
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Height:
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8 inches / 21 cm
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Map ref:
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IC2713
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Description:
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Sketch map of the route to Kathmandu, Nepal as travelled by Prince Waldemar of Prussia during his visit in 1845. At that time, this was the only approved route for foreign visitors.
Friedrich Wilhelm Waldemar visited India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal in 1844-46, during which time he and his companions took extensive notes and drew many high-quality sketches of the places they visited. The account of the journey is now an invaluable record of many places which have since been destroyed. Some of Waldemar's drawings have even been used during the reconstruction efforts in Kathmandu after the 2015 earthquake.
The Geographische Mitteilungen, in which this map was originally published, is the oldest German language geographical journal - its first issue was in 1855 and it finally closed its doors in 2004. The magazine was conceived and edited by August Heinrich Petermann and published by the venerable firm of Justus Perthes in Gotha, Germany.
Its first article reported on an expedition into North Africa and the Sahara by Heinrich Barth and Adolf Overweg. This report was enough to secure a circulation of 4000 for the fledgling magazine and, more importantly, encouraged other important scientist-explorers of the day who were attracted by the magazine’s heavy scientific emphasis to send in their own reports. These included Hans Meyer, the first man to ascend the Kibo crater on Mount Kilimanjaro, Sven Hedin, the Swedish explorer of Central Asia and the Himalayas, and Alfred Wegener, the geoscientist who pioneered the theory of continental shift which led to the modern theory of plate tectonics.
In comparison to its contemporaries, such as the Geographical Journal of the Royal Geographical Society, the Mitteilungen had a far greater interest in ethnography and the physical and natural sciences, leading to the inclusion of many fascinating, but sometimes obscure, maps on the most recent theories related to climatology, meteorology, botany, and zoology.
Printed colour. [IC2713] |