Cartographica Helvetica

Summary

Hans-Peter Höhener:

The boundary atlas of Saint Gall Abbey's former lands of c. 1730

Cartographica Helvetica 6 (1992) 33–37

Summary:

The boundary atlas under discussion is also known in the literature under the name Fürstäbtisch-st. gallischer Marchenbeschrieb, um 1728 (Description of land owned by the Abbey of Saint Gall from about 1728).

This paper is divided into the following four chapters:

Boundary settlements between the Abbey of Saint Gall and its neighbours
Boundary settlements, survey and setting of landmarks in Thurgau
Content and authorship of the boundary atlas
Its significance in the history of cartography

The atlas, at a scale of about 1:10,000, is considered as an internal abbatial document, showing the results of boundary negotiations. The date of its origin is presumed to be 1730. A close relationship to the boundary map of Daniel Teucher (1726) is recognisable. By means of comparing handwritings, the previously unknown author was indentified as the clergyman Gabriel Hecht (1664–1745). The style of the map also points out a relation to Southern Germany.

Boundary maps are mainly manuscript maps and many cases still need to be scientifically researched. The newly edited and commented atlas is therefore a particularly interesting addition to the history of cartography of northeastern Switzerland and to the history of boundary maps.

Bibliographic note

Edited version of: Der Grenzatlas der stiftsanktgallischen Alten Landschaft von ca. 1730. In: Der Grenzatlas der Alten Landschaft der Fürstabtei St. Gallen von ca. 1730: Stiftsarchiv St. Gallen Band 1204. ed. Werner Vogler and Hans-Peter Höhener. Langnau am Albis, 1991. pp. 35–64.