Map-collection of the University Library of Amsterdam

Address: Kaartenzaal (Gebouw A, 4e etage), Singel 425, 1012 WP Amsterdam
Mailing: P.O. Box 19.185, 1000 GD Amsterdam
Opening hours: Monday-Thursday 9.30-13.00 h. and 14.00-17.00 h. and on appointment
Telefax: 020-5252311
Curator: Drs. J.W.H. Werner

Homepage Map Collection University Library of Amsterdam

History
The first mention of atlases in the then Stedelijke Bibliotheek (Municipal Library, later incorporated into the University Library) was in a catalogue of 1612. The first list of maps was made in 1887 by I. Dornseiffen. He listed the maps in the collection of the Royal Dutch Geographical Society (KNAG). The important growth of the University-collection went parallel with that of the KNAG which gave its collection books, atlases and maps into permanent loan in 1880. Under the librarianship of Dr. C.P. Burger a rich collection was built concerning cartography of Dutch seafaring and of Amsterdam publishers, however at the same time providing for documents published in the preceding period (Ptolemaeus, Ortelius, Braun&Hogenberg etc.). The KNAG purchased in 1910 ca. 14,000 maps of Fred. Muller & Co., mainly 'atlas maps' of the 17th and 18th century. Since the 1920's the collection had to compete for acquisitions with a.o. the Netherlands Historical Maritime Museum. In 1936 the honorary curators Henri van der Bijll and Ernst Crone joyfully announced that they had succeeded in the physical arrangement of the then 45,000 sheets. This meant that maps relating to a specific area were all kept together. After some roaming around the town the collections reached in 1967 their present accommodation on the Singel 425.

Contents
Apart from the collection of the KNAG, the map-collection is enriched with the Collection Vaandrager (Surinam), Collection Van de Waal (Amsterdam) and the collection of the former Netherlands Schoolmuseum (schoolatlases and school-wallmaps). Furthermore it contains a collection of topographical prints and photographs of Amsterdam.
Presently the collection numbers some 135,000 maps-sheets and ca. 4,500 atlases which are divided in time as follows:

Till 1800: ca. 25,000 map-sheets
The collection includes unique and rare broadsheet maps, some important manuscript maps on vellum, the Amsterdam golden age of cartography, an extensive range of local and regional topographic map series, town plans, river maps, polder maps, and maritime charts.

ca. 500 atlases
Ptolemy from 1511, a very extensive range of atlases of the Antwerp period (2nd half 16th century) and the height of Amsterdam atlas-making (17th and 18th centuries).

1800-1945: ca. 40,000 map-sheets
Early official topographical series (including all such maps issued in The Netherlands), many foreign examples, early thematic cartography, town plans, maritime chart series of The Netherlands and abroad. Extensive topographical and thematic collections of the former Dutch East Indies and New Guinea; cartography in education.

ca. 1,500 atlases
The collection includes early thematic atlases, world atlases, reference atlases and school atlases.

1945-present: ca. 80,000 map-sheets and 3,500 atlases amongst which many facsimiles and reproductions. A separate regional overview of indexes of multiple-sheet cartographical works is available for series.

The regional emphasis is on: Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Europe, Indonesia, Surinam, United States.
The chief purpose of the collection is to serve the needs of teaching and research within the University of Amsterdam. The extensive reference library comprises specialist literature in the field of modern and historical cartography. For reference purposes there are handbooks, guides, bibliographies, and catalogues of other collections at home and abroad.
A leaflet in English for foreign researchers 'Cartographic collections for research in Amsterdam University Library' is available on request.

Cataloguing
In 1967 A.H. Sijmons began the work of producing a uniform, geographically and thematically ordered catalogue for the complete holdings. After Sijmons's retirement in 1978 work continued on updating and perfecting the catalogue, replacing and extending the sheet-index with a companion updatable overview and producing inventories and user-guides.
At the end of 1992 3,500 atlas-titles were converted to the automated catalogue of the University Library and also available from the Pica-database. The map-catalogue is also in the process of being automated.
The maproom keeps a computerfile with a regional survey of the index-sheets of map series. The file is regularly updated. The mapcollection most probably possesses the largest collection of cartobibliographies in the Netherlands.

Reproduction
Monochrome xeroxcopies or photographs and slides or transparencies can be supplied of both maps and atlas leaves. Orders cannot be accepted by telephone.

Bibliographies
1. Catalogus der boeken en kaarten in het bezit van het Aardrijkskundig Genootschap (op 1 juli 1878) / samengesteld door I. Dornseiffen. Amsterdam : Aardrijkskundig Genootschap, [s.a.]. With 5 supplement parts, concluded 1881.
2. Lijst der kaarten in het bezit van het Nederlandsch Aardrijkskundig Genootschap op 1 januari 1887 / [comp. by I. Dornseiffen]. Amsterdam : Nederlandsch Aardrijkskundig Genootschap, 1887.
3. Catalogus geographie en reizen van de Bibliotheek der Universiteit van Amsterdam: deel 1 / C.P. Burger Jr. Amsterdam : Universiteitsbibliotheek, 1923.
4. Inventaris der plattegronden, topografische en historieprenten etc. van Amsterdam uit de nalatenschap van de heer A.M. van de waal / A.H. Sijmons. Amsterdam : Universiteitsbibliotheek, [1970]
5. Het beeld der aarde : de Nederlandse Schoolatlas : 1880-1940 : catalogus van de tentoonstelling 'Het beeld der aarde' in de Universiteitsbibliotheek van Amsterdam van 7 oktober tot en met 7 november 1985 / samengesteld door H.J.A. Homan ... [et al.]. Alphen a/d Rijn : Canaletto, 1985. 44 p. : ill.
6. Catalogue of atlases: volume I: atlases published before 1801 / comp. by Albert H. Sijmons. Amsterdam : Universiteitsbibliotheek, 1987. In typescript, upon request in the Map Room.
7. Regionaal overzicht van de bladwijzers van meerbladige kaartwerken. Stand op 1 september 1990. [Amsterdam] : Universiteitsbibliotheek, 1990. Regularly updated.

Atlantes Neerlandici
The numbers relate to the "List of Dutch atlases and (partial) facsimiles thereof", primarily based on C. Koeman's Atlantes Neerlandici.

Atlantes Neerlandici < 1880.
000300
001530
001700
002500
002800
003100
003200
003300
003400
003700
003760
003770
003800
003900
003930
003950
004900
004900A1I
005000
005850
005900
006200
006600
006700
006800
007000
007100
007400
007500
007600
007800
007900
008900
009800
010200
011100
011200
012600
013600
014300
014800
015300
015600
016100
016400
016500
016900
017000
017100
017100A1I
017400
017500
017600
017700
017800
018100
018200
018700
018800
018900
019000
019100
019200
019300
021200
021300
021400
021500
022500A1
022600A1
023100
023300
023600
023900
024000
024100A1I
024700
024900
025030
025100
025900
026000
026600
026800
027300
027900
027900A1I
028800
029000
029100
029200
029900
030200
030400
030400A5
030700
030800
030900
031100
031700
031800
031900
032100
032300
032500
032600
032700
032800
032850
033200
033700
033800
033900
034100
034700
035300
037700
037700C1I
038600
038800
039600
039900
040000
040100
040200
040500
040600
040700
041100
041300
041350
041400
042200
042700
042900
043700
043800
043900
044800
045500
048700
048800
048900
049100
049200
049500
049600
049700
049800
049900
050000
050100
050200
050300
050800
050900
052100
052200
052500
052700
053300
053600
053700
053900
054700
054900
055800
056300
056700
057500
059100
059200
059600
059700
059950
060200
060300
060500
060700
060900
061700
061750
062200
062300
062700
062900
063100
063600
063900
064000
064100
064150
064200
065900
068200
070400
073900
074200
074500
074900
075100
075250
075300
075400
075500
075600
075700
075800
076600
078300
078300A1I
078800
078800A1
078900A1
079650
079700
079800
079900
080300
080400
080400A1I
080500
080600
080800
081700
082200
082500
082600
083300
084800
085100
085700A1
086100
088000
088500
089000A1
089400
091700
092300A1
092600
094900
095300A1
095600
097200
097600A1
097900
099000
102400
102600
102650
102800
102900
103325
103700
104400
104500
104900
105100
105200
105300
105400
105800
105900
106300
107100
107400
107500
107700
108400
108600
109300
109400
109500
109800
110400
110500
110900
111200
111500
111800
112300
112500
112700
112900
113100
113200
113600
113700
113900
114000
115000
115600
116200
117600
117900
117900A1I
118700
119000
119400
119500
121500
124700
125000
126300
127000
127900
128100
128300
128400
128700
128800
128900
129000
129100
129300
129700
130000
130200
130300
130400
130500
130800
131300
131900
132500
132600
132650
132700
133100
133300
133500
133600
133800
133900
135100
135200
135500
136200
136500
136800
137200
137500
138400
138500
138700
138800
139000
139300
139400A1I
140100
140200
140300
140500
140600
140800
140900
141000
141200
141300
141500
141700
141800
142400
142800
142900
143100
143200
143300
143600
143900
143950
144100
144200
144300
144600
144700
144800
144950
146400
146700
146800
147700
148300
148400
149000
151700
152100A1I
152900A1I
153000
153200
153300
153500
153700
154700
156300
156500
156800
156900
157000
157100
157700
158100
158230
158260
158500
158600
158800
159000
159100
159700
159900
161100
161300
161400
161500
162200
162400
162600
162900
164100
164700
164750
164800
164900
165600
166100
166800
167000
167000A1I
167500
167800
168800
169100
169500A1I
169800
169800A1I
170200
170600
171000
171600
172100
172700
174100
174400
175400
175600
175600A1I
175700
176300
176800
176800A1I

Atlantes Neerlandici 1880-1940
002866
002882
004830
004831
004833
004834
004860
005510
005511
005512
005520
005521
005526
005540
005543
005556
005558
005560
005565
005575
005950
005960
006150
006151
006155
028030
028033
028037
028070
028072
028270
028275
028640
028643
028647
028648
028650
028660
028661
028662
028664
028670
028674
028675
028676
028703
028704
028705
028706
028707
028708
028709
028710
028711
028712
028713
028714
028715
028716
028717
028718
028719
028720
028721
028722
028723
028724
028725
028726
028727
028728
028729
028730
028731
028732
028733
028734
028735
028738
028818
028821
028825
028831
028832
028833
028835
028880
028884
028886
028895
028917
028923
028929
028937
028941
028946
028983
028985
028989
029003
029022
029023
029024
029025
029026
029027
029029
029041
029052
029054
029062
029102
029104
029106
029108
029110
029115
029118
029129
029131
029135
029155
029160
029163
029195
029198
029202
029205
029211
029214
029219
029228
029247
029252
029258
029370
029375
030511
030513
030514
030524
030530
030558
030562
030564
030574
030595
030596
030670
030675
030680
030751
031802
031804
031900
032001
032050
032070
032170
032171
032750
033050
041600A1
042612
042632
042695
042721
042725
042750
042771
042871
042890
049212
049213
049214
049225
049232
049263
049550
049555
050270
050280
053010
053020
053033
053034
053042
053044
053045
053048
053050
053051
053052
053071
053195
053196
053350
053550
059550
060550
061718
061722
061723
061727
061731
061737
061740
061741
061742
061744
061747
061750
061754
061760
061761
061765
061790
061791
061792
061793
061797
062010
062011
062012
062013
062018
062042
062051
062070
062071
062074
062090
062091
063661
063670
063671
064151
064152
064310
064320
064350
064351
064352
064353
064550
074150
074160
078450
078460
078622
078625
078663
080630
100540
100552
100556
100562
100730
100730A1
101104
101105
101106
101123
101137
101149
101153
101183
101185
101187
101189
101196
101197
101953
102302
102500
103002
103210
103211
103213
103230
109210
109250
109290
109291
110926
110935
110941
110950
110961
110965
111010
111732
111743
111752
131820
131840
131842
131852
133930
133970
134010
134030
134041
134065
134080
134820
134831
135030
144960
144965
144980
144992
145530
145851
145901
145902
145905
145930
145970
146023
146050
146073
146191
146195
146198
146199
146216
146294
146501
148650
151531
151534
151535
151536
151544
151545
157630
157651
157653
157674
158021
158030
158035
158040
158045
158050
158063
158064
158080
158085
158250
158265
158278
158415
158425
158430
158460
158480
160530
160535
160560
160833
160834
160836
161050
166722
166745
166761
166771
166781
166880
170950
171140
171150
171230
171251
171252
171253
171830
171840
171854
172350
172751
172753
172754
176006
176111
176113
176503
176536
176550
176570
177300
177400
177700