www.oldmapsonline.org/about/
The search engine for historical maps
OldMapsOnline developed out of a love of history and heritage of old maps. The project began as a collaboration between Klokan Technologies GmbH, Switzerland and The Great Britain Historical GIS Project based at the University of Portsmouth, UK thanks to funding from JISC. Since January 2013 is the project improved and maintained by volunteers and the team of Klokan Technologies GmbH in their free time.
You can contact the project team at: info@oldmapsonline.org For inquiries related to rights for a particular map contact the relevant institution bellow!
Technology
The website has been created by Klokan Technologies GmbH, specialists in online map publishing and in applications of open-source software. It aims to demonstrate a combination of tools for publishing historical maps with a focus on their easy accessibility for the general public. The core of the retrieval system is the MapRank Search software, developed originally for the Swiss Kartenportal.CH project. The web is optimised for search engines with GeoSEO powered by Linked Data, and it also exposes Structured Data (Schema.org microdata). The technology and expertise from this project can be applied on another projects on request.
Let's work together
We are keen to improve this project and participate on a new research and projects in the field of digital historical cartography. We are open for partnership on national or european R&D projects. Don't hesitate to contact us!
Content
OldMapsOnline.org indexes over 400.000 maps. This is only thanks to the archives and libraries that were open to the idea and provided their online content. All new participants are warmly welcomed.
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Help other institutions
The participating institutions
National Library of Scotland, Maps of Scotland
Featuring over 100,000 maps, primarily of Scotland (but also some of Great Britain) dating from the early 19th Century until the mid 20th Century. The collection focuses on detailed topographic maps by Ordnance Survey, but also includes bathymetrical charts and town plans. These maps are available through a viewer that will show entire individual map sheets.
National Library of Scotland, Maps of Scotland
USGS Historical Topographic Maps
In 1879, the USGS began to map the Nation's topography. This mapping was done at different levels of detail, in order to support various land use and other purposes. As the years passed, the USGS produced new map versions of each area. The most current maps are available from The National Map. TopoView shows the many and varied older maps of each area, and so is useful for historical purposes—for example, the names of some natural and cultural features have changed over time, and the 'old' names can be found on these historical topographic maps.
USGS Historical Topographic Maps
Land Survey Office Czech Republic
The Central Archives of Surveying, Mapping and Cadastre, incorporated into the Land Survey Office (Prague), collects the results of extensive cadastral, geodetic and cartographic works which include cadastral maps of the Stable Cadastre since the first half of the 19th century, series of topographic maps based on military mapping of the state territory since the end of the 19th century, post-war military maps, contemporary state map series and collections of old maps for wider public use by schools, tourism etc.
Land Survey Office Czech Republic
The David Rumsey Map Collection
Probably the largest free online digital collection of historical topographic maps and images. Although the main focus for the collection is rare 18th and 19th Century North and South American maps it also includes a variety of other historical cartographic materials covering the rest of the world. It is presented through a range of different viewers.
The David Rumsey Map Collection
Charles University in Prague, The Map collection
The collection is composed of approximately 130,000 map sheets, around 3,000 atlases and 120 globes. Approximately 50% of this collection is made up of early prints and manuscripts dating from before 1850. Thanks to the financial support of the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic NAKI project, the digitized maps can be accessed in the UK repository.
Charles University in Prague, The Map collection
New York Public Library, Map Division
The collection from the map division of the New York Public Library presents well over 5000 maps of the whole world, but with particular emphasis on North America. They range in date from the late fifteenth century through to modern times. The library has two methods of viewing maps, either the map and catalogue entry or the geographically located map images in Map Warper.
New York Public Library, Map Division
Saxon State and University Library Dresden (SLUB)
The map collection of the Saxon State and University Library, Dresden (SLUB) is one of the biggest map collections in Germany. It comprises over 177.000 maps and views, more than 22.000 of them are digitally available in the Map Forum of the library. In addition to the valuable historic maps (e.g. Ptolemy, Münster, Ortelius, Mercator, Gerard de Jode and Blaeu), the main focus of the SLUB’s map collection lies on maps of Saxony and topographical maps of Germany and Europe. In 2013 the library started to georeference historic maps and publish them within the newly developed Virtual Map Forum 2.0, a spatial data infrastructure for historic maps. To date, this infrastructure offers an easy access to thousands of georeferenced maps.
Saxon State and University Library Dresden (SLUB)
University Library Berne, Map collections
The University Library Berne features an extensive collection of historic maps, its centerpiece being the Ryhiner map collection. It contains more than 16,000 maps, plans, and views dating from the 16th through the 18th century, covering the entire globe and the universe. It was compiled by Johann Friedrich Ryhiner (1732–1803), a Bernese patrician, statesman and geographer. The collection was donated to the library in 1865. All the maps are digitized, and a considerable part has been geocoded and is displayed in Old Maps Online, but the work on that and other collections is in progress.
University Library Berne, Map collections
British Library, Map Library
The British Library's map collection spans the world, but for now Old Maps Online provides access to two online collections: the Ordnance Surveyors' Drawings, made between the 1780s and 1840 during the first detailed survey of Britain, and the Crace Collection of maps of London, charting the development of the city from around 1570 to 1860.
British Library, Map Library
Moravian Library, Mollova mapová sbírka
A variety of historical maps depicting the area of the Czech Republic and Europe more widely, dating from the mid 16th Century until the mid 19th Century. This collection is available through a viewer that will show entire individual map sheets and is searched using the same software as OldMapsOnline.
Moravian Library, Mollova mapová sbírka
Národní technické muzeum
Národní technické muzeum
Muzeum Brněnska
Muzeum Brněnska
Státní oblastní archiv v Třeboni
Státní oblastní archiv v Třeboni
Harvard Library, Harvard Map Collection
One of the largest and oldest map collections in North America, the Harvard Map Collection is in the process of digitizing many of its most significant holdings, including a broad range of urban plans, maps of exploration, nautical charts, and cartographic curiosities. The digital collection ranges temporally from the early 16th century to the present, and spatially across all regions of the globe.
Harvard Library, Harvard Map Collection
Státní oblastní archiv v Zámrsku
Státní oblastní archiv v Zámrsku
ETH-Bibliothek Map Collection
The ETH-Bibliothek Map Collection comprises about 400,000 scientific, technical and topographical maps as well as atlases dating from the 19th to the 21st centuries, including individual maps, map books, maps from cantonal surveys, street maps, panoramic maps and satellite photographs. There are also rare and valuable prints of maps from the 18th and 19th centuries and approximately 4,000 atlases and books, a range of digital (electronic) maps and spatial data, along with up-to-date and historic aerial photos of Switzerland (orthophotos).
ETH-Bibliothek Map Collection
Historický ústav Akademie věd České republiky
Historický ústav Akademie věd České republiky
Státní oblastní archiv v Plzni
Státní oblastní archiv v Plzni
Norman B. Leventhal Map Center at the Boston Public Library
The full collection of maps held at this institution dates from the fifteenth to the twentieth Centuries and includes atlases, nautical charts, birds-eye views, land ownership, estate, war and urban growth maps. A small subset of these is available through Old Maps Online focussed on the North-Eastern United Sates of america.
Norman B. Leventhal Map Center at the Boston Public Library
State Library New South Wales
The State Library of New South Wales holds one of the most significant collections of maps, charts and atlases in Australia, covering Australia, in particular New South Wales, the Pacific region, Antarctica and extending to the rest of the world. The collections have developed over the past 150 years and include maps from the 15th to the 21st century.
State Library New South Wales
Bordeaux Montaigne University
Bordeaux Montaigne University
Institut Cartogràfic i Geològic de Catalunya
The Map Library of Catalonia is a service offered by the Cartographic Institute of Catalonia (ICC) to make available to users its cartographic, bibliographic, photographic and documentary archives. The Digital Map Library of the ICC, opened in 2007, is a repository that allows you to search, view and download high resolution maps of the world from the fifteenth century to the present.
Institut Cartogràfic i Geològic de Catalunya
Dutch National Archives
Drawing together material from 100 different archives, this collection totals over 300,000 items. The maps in the collection include military, topographic, foreign and pre-1900 Dutch maps, around half of which are hand-drawn. Links to 650 of these maps are included in Old Maps Online.
Dutch National Archives
Technische Universität Darmstadt, University and State Library (ULB)
The map collection of the University and State Library Darmstadt contains about 37.000 sheets from its early beginnings under Landgrave George I of Hesse-Darmstadt in the 16th to the 20th century (incl. posters, portraits, city views), as well as some 500 atlases. About 26.000 printed maps represent the largest part of the collection besides a big number of military maps, city plans and hand drawings – overall with a focus on the Hessian region and Germany, but also many maps covering other parts of the world.
Technische Universität Darmstadt, University and State Library (ULB)
Univerzita Jana Evangelisty Purkyně v Ústí nad Labem
Univerzita Jana Evangelisty Purkyně v Ústí nad Labem
Utrecht University Library, Special Collections
The map collection of Utrecht University Library is part of the Special Collections department. It was not until the Geographical Institute was established in 1908 that the active management of the map collection started. A lot of fascinating additions were acquired in the early days of the Geographical Institute, which were used in education on Dutch overseas expansion and voyages of discovery. With the addition of large numbers of pedological and geological maps from the Utrecht University Geosciences Library in 2010, all Utrecht University map collections can now be found at the University Library Uithof. The map collection contains around 170,000 post-1850 maps and atlases and around 6,000 older cartographic documents. The library digitizes parts of the collection of old maps.
Utrecht University Library, Special Collections
Masarykova univerzita
Masarykova univerzita
Měštská knihovna v Praze
Měštská knihovna v Praze
Vorarlberger Landesrepositorium
Vorarlberger Landesrepositorium
University of Manchester Map Library
The University of Manchester Map Collection is one of the largest in the North West of England and comprises maps and atlases dating from the fifteenth to the twentieth centuries. The collection offers topographic and thematic mapping for the UK, as well as wide-ranging coverage for the rest of the world, with a strong emphasis on the North West of England. This small subset of online maps comprises large-scale detailed maps of the city of Manchester and its environs, documenting radical urban change from the Victorian era to modern times.
University of Manchester Map Library
Art Research Center, Ritsumeikan University
Art Research Center, Ritsumeikan University
Wisconsin Historical Society
The Wisconsin Historical Society is one of the largest, most active, and most diversified state historical societies in the US. Founded in 1846, it is both a state agency and a private membership organization. The Wisconsin Historical Society helps people connect to the past by collecting, preserving and sharing stories.
Wisconsin Historical Society
Městské muzeum v Jaroměři
Městské muzeum v Jaroměři
Biblioteca Nacional de Colombia
The growing digital collection from this national library includes both national and international maps as well as larger-scale maps of strategically important locations. It includes maps of actual Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela and Panama from the sixteenth through to the twentieth century, and those for America and beyond which go back to colonial times. Please note this host institution interface is in Spanish.
Biblioteca Nacional de Colombia
Národní technická knihovna
Národní technická knihovna
Západočeské muzeum v Plzni
Západočeské muzeum v Plzni
Vědecká knihovna v Olomouci
Vědecká knihovna v Olomouci
North Carolina Digital Heritage Center
North Carolina Maps is a collaborative project between the North Carolina State Archives, the North Carolina Collection at UNC-Chapel Hill, and the Outer Banks History Center. The digital maps included range from towns and counties within the state up to the whole of North America, with the earliest images in the collection dating back to the late sixteenth century.
North Carolina Digital Heritage Center
Hong Kong Historic Maps
This website is dedicated to the discovery and display of historic maps of Hong Kong. Over the past few years I have been collecting historic maps to track the changes and development in the infrastructure. This site provides a collection of these maps along with overlays of key features and the comparison with modern mapping. All information is presented for personal use. Details of the maps sources are provided under the map detail section.
Hong Kong Historic Maps
Great River Arts
Hand painted historical maps and custom travel maps by Lisa Middleton.
Great River Arts
Universitatsbibliothek Trier
Universitatsbibliothek Trier
Výzkumný ústav geodetický, topografický a kartografický
Výzkumný ústav geodetický, topografický a kartografický
Leiden University
Leiden University
National Library of Wales
The library is entitled to receive a copy of every printed map and atlas published in Great Britain; although the map collection's focus is on Wales, the British Isles and other parts of the world with Welsh or Celtic connections, as well as material created by Welsh mapmakers. The paper collection includes over a million maps, charts and plans in volumes and as loose sheets, dating back to the fifteenth century.
National Library of Wales
Jihočeská vědecká knihovna
Jihočeská vědecká knihovna
UCLA Library
UCLA Library
GeoPortOst
GeoPortOst
Zentralbibliothek Zürich
Zentralbibliothek Zürich
Royal Library of Belgium map collection
The cartographical documents held by the Maps and Plans Department of the Royal Library of Belgium date from the sixteenth century to the present day and represent Belgium and the whole world. They consist of more than 100.000 maps and plans on loose leaves, approximately 800 atlases, around thirty globes, and a substantial collection of books and journals on cartography. Many of the hand-drawn, engraved and printed maps dating from before 1800 belong to the collection of valuable objects.
Royal Library of Belgium map collection
A Vision of Britain through Time, Historical Map Library
Featuring mainly British maps this collection divides its map images into types; topographic, boundary and land use. It uses two viewers, one presenting a small number of zoomable mosaics of the whole of Great Britain which can be used as a finding aid for a second viewer that will show entire individual map sheets for map series that are not continuous.
A Vision of Britain through Time, Historical Map Library
NOAA's Historical Map & Chart Collection
Office of Coast Survey's Historical Map & Chart Collection covers the land and waters of the United States of America, including territories and possessions (past and present). Today's Office of Coast Survey traces its charting efforts back to 1807, when President Thomas Jefferson founded the Survey of the Coast. To celebrate and preserve this long history, NOAA started assembling the collection in 1995 as a data rescue effort.
NOAA's Historical Map & Chart Collection
Kartverket
Kartverket
Národní knihovna ČR
Národní knihovna ČR
Colonial Portuguese maps of Cape Verde, São Tomé and Príncipe, Angola, East Timor
Hydrographic and composite topographic maps of Cape Verde, São Tomé and Príncipe, Angola, East Timor
Colonial Portuguese maps of Cape Verde, São Tomé and Príncipe, Angola, East Timor
Total maps in OldMapsOnline 498907
Total maps in Mobile App 305408
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