Das Atlaswerk ,,Die Bundesrepublik Deutschland in Karten“

Summary

This article reviews the newly published atlas "Die Bundesrepublik Deutschland in Karten" (The Federal Republic of Germany in Maps). It first outlines the development of thematic cartography, noting that the atlas was created as a substitute for a unified national atlas under the conditions of Germany's division. Published jointly by the Federal Statistical Office, the Institute for Regional Geography, and the Institute for Spatial Planning, the atlas aims to systematically synthesize the main results of the 1960/61 censuses. It is issued in loose-leaf format and comprises 93 maps covering nature, population, economy, and spatial planning, with a primary scale of 1:1,000,000, supplemented by 1:2,000,000 and 1:2,700,000 scales. The article provides a detailed assessment of the first 24 maps, highlighting their predominantly statistical approach complemented by geographical and planning-oriented content. The author regards the atlas as a future standard work in German thematic cartography, while regretting its high price as a barrier to wider circulation and calling for public subsidies to enhance accessibility.