Elbe Estuary | Nautical Chart | Historical Map | Elbe

The "Plan de l'Embouchure de l'Elbe" is a historical nautical chart of the Elbe estuary, showing the waterways from the North Sea to Stade. It was surveyed in 1812 by Charles-François Beautemps-Beaupré, one of the most important hydrographers of his time and a member of the Institut de France, and published in 1816 by royal order in the Dépôt-général de la Marine, the central map archive of the French navy. The map is distinguished by its exceptional level of detail: countless depth soundings trace the fairway, color-coded sandbanks like Vogel-Sandt, Scharhörn-Bank, and Neuwerck make the constantly changing river morphology, then as now, visible, and coastal towns from Cuxhaven to Brunsbüttel, Glückstadt, and Stade are depicted with fine hatching. A detailed legend explains sounding methods, tidal times, and bottom characteristics, supplemented by a compass rose and several scale bars. Created shortly after the Napoleonic Wars, when the Elbe estuary was of great strategic and economic importance, this sheet is one of the key works in the history of North German cartography and a special item for all those interested in maritime history, coastal landscapes, and the development of navigation.

Historical maps show traces of time and use, the intensity and nature of which vary depending on the map and its purpose. The offered print is a reproduction.

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