Die heutigen Regionalatlanten und die Tendenzen ihrer Entwicklung

Summary

This article examines the development, principal forms, and future tendencies of comprehensive regional atlases in the mid-twentieth century. It begins with a historical survey, identifying such early examples as the 1914 Atlas of Asiatic Russia, the Soviet atlases of the Moscow and Leningrad regions and the Karelian Autonomous Republic, and the German atlases of Pomerania, Lower Saxony, and the Saar. After the interruption caused by the Second World War, interest revived markedly in the late 1950s as regional planning, resource development, economic administration, and geographical research created new demand for integrated cartographic works. More systematic programs subsequently emerged in the Federal Republic of Germany, Austria, France, the United States, Canada, and the Soviet Union, while regional atlases remained isolated undertakings elsewhere. Drawing on a comparison of representative publications, the author analyzes their organization and the relative weight assigned to maps of nature, population, economy, culture, history, administration, and other subjects. The comparison reveals substantial national and institutional differences in thematic selection, depth of treatment, cartographic technique, and intended use. Regional atlases may function both as scientific reference works and as practical instruments for territorial planning, allocation of productive forces, resource assessment, public administration, and education. Their scope and internal structure must therefore reflect regional characteristics, editorial objectives, available data, and the needs of specific user groups. The article argues that a successful regional atlas should do more than assemble separate distributions of phenomena. It should disclose spatial relationships among natural conditions, resources, population, settlement, transport, and economic activity; represent historical change and contemporary dynamics; and clarify internal differentiation and external connections. Atlas design is thus expected to advance from predominantly analytical maps toward complex and synthetic representations, without sacrificing clarity or factual reliability. Because many thoroughly researched regional atlases equal national atlases in content and scholarly purpose, they can profitably follow a comparable logical sequence: natural conditions and resources, population, economy, culture, administrative organization, and, where possible, historical development. Finally, the author advocates greater coordination and standardization. Standardization should not suppress regional individuality, but should harmonize basic map types, legends, statistical categories, scales, and principles of representation so that atlases become more internally coherent and more readily comparable at national and international levels. Progress requires critical analysis of published atlases, scholarly discussion, exchange of experience, preparation of bibliographies, and international atlas exhibitions. The International Geographical Union’s Commission on National Atlases is presented as an important institution for formulating recommendations, disseminating good practice, and encouraging cooperation in the future development of regional atlas production.