Soest [on sheet with] Warborch - Warburgum, elegans Westphaliae Opp.

A fine antique copper engraved sheet with two panoramic views , by Georg Braun and Frans Hogenberg: Soest and Warburg. From: 'Civitates Orbis Terrarum'. Liber tertius. Köln, G. Kempen, 1581.

SOEST: CARTOUCHE: Soest, among the cities of Westphalia almost the largest and richest. COMMENTARY BY BRAUN: "Although the farmland in Westphalia is generally better for woods and cattle pastures, the area around Soest and Hamm is still suitable for cultivating grain.
Soest is also well known for its many salt mines. For the town of Pfaffendorf, where the salt mines lie, supplies Soest with daily deliveries of such a quantity of precious salt that is sufficient to cover the needs of not only the city itself but also all its neighbouring towns far around.
The owners of the salt mines, mostly nobles, are inhabitants of the city. The city itself maintains six mills for the general use."
This view shows the city from the southeast, it's dominated by numerous church spires.

WARBURG: CAPTION: Warburg, a fine town in Westphalia. COMMENTARY BY BRAUN: "Warburg, an attractive town in Westphalia, lies on hilly ground with the River Diemel flowing by. It formerly had the title of county, as Hermann Hamelmann records in his Westfàlische Geschichte, where he also praises the town for its delicious beer, which is happily imbibed, in particular by those who seek humour for little expense."
This view from the south shows the town of Warburg, which is spread out across several hills. The early Gothic church of St John the Baptist soars above the New Town in the centre background. The Old Town in the foreground, which sprang up on an advantageous site on the Diemelfurt, is first mentioned in records of 1036.
Following the foundation of the New Town in 1228 by the Bishop of Paderborn, the two merged to form a single town in 1436. The town hall "between the town" was erected in 1568. On the far right is a glimpse of Desenberg castle, perched on top of a striking 340-m-high basalt bluff as if on an inselberg.

The 'Civitates Orbis Terrarum', or the "Braun & Hogenberg", is a six-volume town atlas and the greatest book of town views and plans ever published: 363 engravings, sometimes beautifully colored. It was one of the best-selling works in the last quarter of the 16th century. Georg Braun wrote the text accompanying the plans and views on the verso.
A large number of the plates were engraved after the original drawings of Joris Hoefnagel (1542-1600), who was a professional artist. The first volume was published in Latin in 1572, the sixth volume in 1617. Frans Hogenberg created the tables for volumes I through IV, and Simon van den Neuwel created those for volumes V and VI.
Other contributors were cartographer Daniel Freese, and Heinrich Rantzau. Works by Jacob van Deventer, Sebastian Münster, and Johannes Stumpf were also used. Translations appeared in German and French.

Reference: Taschen, Braun and Hogenberg, p.245.