RATZENBURGK [RATZEBURG.]

A fine antique map - bird's-eye view of Ratzeburg by Braun & Hogenberg, signed and dated bottom centre: Gerdt Hane 1588. From: Urbium Praecipuarum Mundi Theatrum Quintum Auctore Georgio Braunio Agrippinate. Part 5. Köln, 1596.

COMMENTARY BY BRAUN (on verso): "Ratzeburg is an ancient town in Saxony with a castle; it lies seven miles from Hamburg and as many from Lüneburg, two from Lübech and six miles from Schwerin, in a very convenient location surrounded entirely by water.
On the island, on the north side of the town, stand the cathedral and the canons' houses. To the south lies the prince's palace, which is furnished with many buildings, with walls, ramparts and bastions, and surrounded by water on all sides, and from where the town can be reached only by carriage or on horseback via a bridge."
The engraving offers a bird's-eye view from the south of the town lying on two islands in Lake Ratzeburg. The name Ratzeburg probably derives from Ratibor, a Polabian prince who is thought to have built the castle, which is first mentioned in records in 1062. Ratzeburg was Christianised in 1154 under Count Henry of Bodewide and construction on the cathedral (Thumb Kirche) began soon afterwards, under Bishop Evermod; the three-aisled Romanesque basilica with its massive west tower is clearly visible top left.
On the right, in the town, lies the church of St Peter dating from the 13th century. While a large part of the town, including the castle and most of its fortifications, were destroyed by Danish bombardment in 1693, the cathedral survived the attack. A health resort in the Duchy of Lauenburg district of Schleswig-Holstein in northern Germany, Ratzeburg today has a population of 14,000. (Taschen)

Reference: Van der Krogt 4, 41:1.5