This uncommon plan of the city of Aachen is from a rare book by Franz Blondel, a celebrated physician who helped to rebuild the city's prosperity after the fire of 1656 by promoting claims that the city's drinking water and hot springs held miraculous healing properties. The plan is an adaptation of Braun & Hogenberg's plan of 1582. At right are tables listing the parts of the city that were destroyed in the fire and the locations of the curative springs. The Latin verse above the map, is the opening verse of the Charlemagne Sequence dating from about 1200: "Urbs aquensis, urbs regalis, regni sedes principalis" (Aachen, thou regal city and principal seat of the realm).

References:

Condition: A

Issued folded, now flattened. A tiny binding tear has been repaired in the left margin.