Bücher- und Zeitschriftenschau: Atlas der Donauländer

This review assesses the Atlas of the Danubian Countries, conceived in the 1950s and edited by Josef Breu under the auspices of the Austrian Institute for East and Southeast European Studies. Published between 1970 and 1989 in eleven installments and four languages, the atlas comprises 48 map and text sheets plus an index, covering physical geography, population, economy, and transport across six states and parts of eight others. Created through broad international collaboration, it successfully provides a comparative, transnational overview of Southeast Europe’s spatial structures and, through its accompanying texts, illustrations, and tables, also serves as a regional reference work. Its limitations stem chiefly from incompatible statistical units and definitions, differing survey dates, missing data, and the loss of currency caused by its lengthy publication period. Although contemporary priorities would require a different thematic balance, many large-scale structures identified in the atlas remain persistent and informative. Together with later national atlases and the periodical Atlas of Eastern and Southeastern Europe, the work retains lasting significance as a high-quality standard reference for Southeast European geographical research.