Londinum Feracissimi Angliae Regni Metropolis

This map is from the 1574 second edition of the Civitates Orbis Terrarum, which was first published in Cologne in 1572. Edited by Georg Braun, and eventually containing 546 prospects of cities from all over the world, the atlas was the first of its type. The first volume concentrated on European cities, 79 in all. Braun (1541-1622) a cleric of Cologne, was the principal editor of the compendium. Braun and Hogenberg relied mainly on existing maps, but also on the topographical drawings executed by the Antwerp artist Joris Hoefnagel (1542-1600) who had travelled extensively in Europe. To complete the series over a hundred artists and cartographers were employed to produce the maps and the majority were engraved by Frans Hogenberg (1535-1590) the son of a Munich engraver who settled in Malines.

Although the London view was published in 1572 it shows the city at an earlier date, as St Paul's Cathedral is shown complete with its spire which was destroyed by lightning in 1561. Comparison of the spelling and incidental details suggest that the Civitates 'London' is a reduced scale-version of the so-called 'Copperplate Map' of c.1558. The Civitates proved to be extremely popular and in subsequent editions a few changes were made to the orginal plates. In this second edition (published in 1574), 'Westmester' has been changed to 'Westmuster' and the Royal Exchange was inserted. Other early editions of the London view are held by the British Museum, Guildhall Library and the University of Jewish History in Jerusalem.