In 1659, the famous mapmaker Joan Blaeu published his world atlas Tooneel des Aardrycks [Display of the Realm of Earth]. The archives in Leiden have made their atlas available online.
This week we are looking at a map of Zeeland. Compared to a modern map, the province had many more islands in 1659. In this period, people were trying to reclaim land from the sea, but floods sometimes inundated whole regions. The map shows many drowned areas that were later reclaimed from the sea again. See the research guide for Zeeland and the list of drowned places for more information.
Map of Zeeland, 1659. Credits: Joan Blaeu, imaged at Erfgoed Leiden (public domain)
About Yvette Hoitink
