Braun & Hogenberg's Civitates Orbis Terrarum or "Cities of the World" was published between 1572 and 1617. Within the six volumes, 531 towns and cities were depicted on 363 plates, providing the reader with the pleasures of travel without the attendant discomforts. Braun wrote in the preface to the third book, "What could be more pleasant than, in one's own home far from all danger, to gaze in these books at the universal form of the earth . . . adorned with the splendor of cities and fortresses and, by looking at pictures and reading the texts accompanying them, to acquire knowledge which could scarcely be had but by long and difficult journeys?" Braun and Hogenberg incorporated an astonishing wealth of information into each scene beyond the city layout and important buildings. The plates provide an impression of the economy and prominent occupations, and illustrate local costumes, manners and customs.

Superb view of present-day Bratislava, which was the Hungarian capital between 1536 to 1783 and is the present-day capital of Slovakia. The view shows the hilltop castle with the city nestled below on the banks of the Danube River. A group of women and children are shown in the foreground. Braun's motive for adding figures to his city plans, as stated in his introduction, were to discourage the military use of the plans by the Turks because he believed that their religion forbade them from looking on representations of the human form. French text on verso.

References: Fussel, pp. 322-23.

Condition: B+

A crisp impression on a lightly toned sheet with a coat of arms watermark. The toning along the centerfold is a bit more prominent and there is a printer's crease at bottom right and a small hole along the centerfold at top.