Suchodoletz map, plan of Potsdam’s surroundings 1680

On behalf of the Grand Elector Friedrich Wilhelm, the Polish surveyor Samuel de Suchodoletz produced the oldest atlas from the Electoral rule of Potsdam and the surrounding area, i.e. the possessions of the new residence acquired from 1680. It is the first extensive, large-scale mapping of a Brandenburg area at all. In the case of this map, 18 individual sheets of the Atlas Ichnographia or the Own Basic of the Churfürstliche Herschafft Potstamb Undt Darzu Listed Ampt Saarmund and Wittbrützen As well as the Herschafft Capput (ANNO MDCLXXXV) were digitally assembled and modified to scale. The front of the map sheet shows the main map, which depicts the majority of today’s city of Potsdam on a scale of 1:25000. The reverse shows today’s city centre area in 1:10000 scale as well as explanations to the map by Dipl.-Ing. Hartmut Solmsdorf. The original atlas is owned by the Secret State Archive of Prussian Cultural Heritage Berlin.