When Sweden was Put on the Map

Abstract

The Swedish large-scale surveying of farms, hamlets and villages during the 1630s and 1640s was at that time unique in the world, due to the large scale of its undertaking and homogeneous appearance. Approximately 15,000 maps were created, with most of them put together in so-called Geometric Land-Atlas Maps (geometriska jordeböcker), consisting of maps from one or more hundreds (härader). These maps provide an outstanding source of information in regards to studies on the historical, economical, and spatial details of the old agrarian landscape in Sweden. the material was last addressed in a detailed and complete manner some ten years ago by Elizabeth Baigent and Robert Kain (Kain & Baigent 1992). Recently, a research project was commenced with the aim of making these maps available in a national edition. This project is situated at the National Archives of Sweden, and financed by the Bank of Sweden Tercentenary Foundation and the Royal Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities. the following article provides a brief introduction to this fascinating material.