The atlas of the German Democratic Republic

Summary

Ernst Benedict and Rudi Ogrissek describe the compilation and cartographic conception of Atlas Deutsche Demokratische Republik, issued by the GDR Academy of Sciences with VEB Hermann Haack. Its first delivery appeared in 1976; the second was scheduled for completion in 1980. About 200 authors and nearly 20 cartographic editors contributed, drawing on years of research and extensive data preparation. The Leipzig Institute of Geography and Geoecology coordinated scientific and cartographic work, while the publisher coordinated technical production. The authors report that atlas-related investigations also yielded results usable beyond the maps in research and practice. The complete atlas comprises 106 maps on 58 sheets, organized into seven thematic groups at four scales, with legends in five languages. Its conception combines differentiated information with an integrated geographical account of the country. The authors emphasize element-relation and complex-analytical maps, thematic typification, and comparison across maps, supported by coordinated base maps, symbols, lettering, and generalization. They acknowledge that comparability restricts graphic variety and that multilayer maps pose unresolved color and printing problems. Their detailed example, “Wirtschaft — Übersicht” at 1:750,000, uses employment-based subdivided circles for 534 municipalities with at least 1,000 employees, together with agricultural and forestry areas, livestock-production symbols, selected facilities, and major transport routes. Supplementary diagrams show employment shares for the country and its districts. The authors explain how these choices relate local economic composition to territorial patterns, while noting that agricultural color areas carry excessive visual weight.