Compte-rendu: Die Bundesrepublik Deutschland in Karten

Summary

This article comprises two review notes. The first reviews *Die Bundesrepublik Deutschland in Karten*, a national atlas of West Germany produced by the Federal Statistical Office and the Federal Institute for Regional Studies and Planning. The atlas presents thematic maps at 1:1,000,000 covering administrative divisions, natural conditions, population, economy, and regional planning, supplemented by machine-generated "Kartophot" maps. The reviewer praises the atlas's rich detail and harmonization of cartographic work, but criticizes the lack of vegetation and demographic age-structure maps, and the poor representation of some statistical data. He also draws lessons for France, urging the creation of a comparable national thematic atlas. The second note summarizes Wilhelm Lutz's monograph on Gröden, a high Dolomite valley in South Tyrol. Lutz examines the valley's physical setting, medieval colonization, and settlement patterns, arguing that dispersed versus grouped settlements reflect socio-economic stages rather than ethnic differences. The valley's economy has long centered on woodworking (sculpture and turning) and more recently on tourism. Together, these notes demonstrate the value of detailed regional mapping and interdisciplinary research.