Amstelredamum, Nobile Inferioris Germaniae Oppidum . . . (Amsterdam)

Very desirable and early town-plan of Amsterdam from a north-easterly direction. With a numbered key (1-28) in lower left corner. "On the left-hand side we can see how the mouth of the River Amstel has been dammed and its waters channeled into canals and made to pass through the city before flowing out into the Zuiderzee (today the IJsselmeer). The canals, which were used to transport imported goods to the counting houses located all over the city, are lined with private houses, commercial buildings and warehouses. In the center of the plan, the old town hall (Stadhuis, 21) and the neighboring Nieue Kerk (23) are also clearly recognizable. With its depiction of the heavy shipping traffic inside the harbour and on the Zuiderzee, the engraving conveys an impression of the contemporary scale of trade conducted in the continually expanding metropolis.
In the 13th century Amsterdam was simply a small fishing port built on marshy ground. In 1300 it was granted its municipal charter and in 1369 became a member of the Hansa. Not until the beginning of the 1600s did the city finally establish itself as the leading center of trade and the constantly expanding hub of a global financial and commercial empire.
This Golden Age brought not only an economic boom but also a flowering of the sciences and arts, which lasted until the end of the 17th century.
Between 1570 and 1640 Amsterdam's population grew from around 30,000 to almost 140,000, today it numbers around 750,000.. . ." (Taschen, Braun and Hogenberg, p.78.)

From volume one of the greatest publication in this genre!. The Civitates was compiled and written by George Braun, Canon of Cologne Cathedral. Braun gathered together vast amounts of information and draft plans to produce over 500 city views/maps published in six parts between 1572 and 1617. Most of these engravings were made by Simon Novellanus and Frans Hogenberg, many after drawings by Joris Hoefnagel.
Read more about the Civitates Orbis.

Reference: D'Ailly, 38-40, Koeman (1967-70) B & H 1-5, NMM III, i, 459 (1573-1618 ed.), Introduction', in: G. Braun and F. Hogenberg, Civitates orbis terrarum (Amsterdam: 1965). (2)