Moscovia urbs Metropolis totius Russiae Albae.

Detailed bird's-eye town-plan of Moscow from Frederick de Wit's rare townbook. With a key (1-20) to important spots in town.
Frederick de Wit published after 1694 a town book of European and Asian cities (Theatrum Praecipuarum Totius Europae?) composed of 132 plans and views, mainly printed from the plates obtained from Janssonius. The date of publication is uncertain, but must be after 1694 when he bought the stock of copper plates from Janssonius. He also published in or after 1698 two editions of a town book of the Netherlands with 124 plans and views.

Usually F. de Wit added his address "F.de Wit Excudit Amstelodami" and a scale border, when not originally added. This plate is printed from a Janssonius plate but has no address added, and has a blanc verso.
His weduw continued the business after his death, but in 1710 the stock was sold to Coven & Mortier, who on his turn sold the stock to Pieter van der Aa of Leiden, who used the plates to print his multi-volume work, "La galérie agréable du Monde".

From Janssonius town book of European and Asian cities (Theatrum Urbium Celebriorum totius…) published in1657.
In 1653 Janssonius acquired the nearly 500 plates of the Civitates Orbis Terrarum from Abraham Hogenberg, of which 232 were adapted and incorporated into the town books. A second state exists having persons and animals added in the streets, squares and around the city.

The plan is believed to be derived from a Russian survey prepared at the orders of Boris Fyodorovich Godunov (c. 1551-1605), Czar of Muscovy from 1598 onward, and was probably prepared prior to 1630. The original Russian plan has apparently not survived, and Braun & Hogenberg may have used a copy made in 1610 for King Sigismund III.
The plan shows the old city which surrounds the Kremlin and the Kitai Gorod or Fortified City. The name Kremlin first appeared as Kreml' (or High Town) in an account of the fire in the town in 1331. It was founded in 1147 at the junction of two rivers, the Moskva and the Neglinnaya. As Moscow grew, the Kremlin became the royal, religious and secular heart of the city. Until Czar Peter I transferred his seat of government to his new city of St Petersburg in 1713, it was the capital city. beyond the walls of Kitai Gorod, another section grew up, called Belgorod or White City, which was in 1584 after the death of Czar Ivan the Terrible with a wall which spanned 6 miles and included 28 towers.