Nationalatlanten - Entwicklungsgeschichte und Ausblick

Summary

In the supplied opening and closing sections, Christian Witschel discusses the historical phases, changing functions, and digital prospects of national atlases. An analysis of 56 atlases examines relationships between their concepts, cartographic presentation, and intended functions. Atlases published before 1918 were bound volumes emphasizing physical geography and analytical maps. During the 1920s and 1930s, publication formats diversified and economic themes gained prominence. Between 1946 and 1960, boxed loose-leaf editions appeared, summary representations increased, and printing quality improved. Subsequent developments included smaller formats, indexes, and an East–West contrast in analytical and synthetic approaches. From the 1970s, thematic volumes, continuously expandable loose-leaf editions, problem-oriented topics, and photographic illustrations became more common. Electronic versions were initiated in the late 1980s, while marketing to broader audiences encouraged simpler maps. The author links the early Finnish and Canadian national atlases to political representation supporting aspirations for sovereignty, and identifies the Soviet atlas of 1937–1940 as intended to support political and economic planning. The closing sections outline electronic atlases’ advantages in production costs, tailored information retrieval, interactivity, and updating, while noting that unequal technical resources and expertise will sustain multiple publication formats during a transition. The author anticipates the predominance of fully digital systems, stresses coordination and standards for electronic publishing, and recommends retaining printed editions for readers needing introductory information or lacking access to technology, thereby supporting public access to national-atlas information.