Arnsberg

Early issue of this c.16th engraved view of Arnsberg, Germany from the famous series Civitates Orbis Terrarum (Cities of the World) by George Braun and Franz Hogenberg.

The dating of this issue is identified by the Latin text on the verso, with the first line ending in ad and the last line beginning with iucunda and ending inprebeat.

Contemporary description by Braun; “The fair and noble land of Westphalia between the Weser and the Rhine stretches all the way to the land of Hesse and in the north as far as Friesland. It is divided into many different counties, duchies and noble estates. […] One of these is the County of Arnsberg, not the least in renown and merit, whose lords and counts, especially Frederick, […] also called themselves Counts of Westphalia.”

In this view of the city, which is laid out in elliptical form on the narrow ridge of a hill in the Rhenish Uplands within a narrow loop of the Ruhr, the dominating feature is the castle, built in the 11th century by the Counts of Arnsberg, and considerably expanded in the 14th century by the Electors of Cologne. The city was fortified with walls and towers. At the southern end of it was the monastery of Winckhusen dating from the 15th century, which later became the abbey of Wedinghausen. In 1600 the city was destroyed by fire, but by 1632 it already had 227 households again. The castle was destroyed in 1762 by the Prince of Brunswick during the Seven Years’ War. The plate emphasizes the city’s key position on various important routes: the main road from Soest leads over a guarded bridge to the city, and the Ruhr, which flows past the city, is navigable for merchant ships. The figures in the foreground illustrate the city’s position of power: nobleman, knight and guard. (Taschen p.300)