Historic Map : Black Map of Greater Germany (Germany, Holland, Belgium, Bohemia, Austria), 1844, Vintage Wall Art

This is a scarce 1844 map of Central Europe by Adam and Charles Black. It covers from Denmark south to Switzerland and from France east to include Bohemia or the Czech Republic, including the modern day countries of Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Poland, Czech Republic and Austria. Throughout, the map identifies various cities, towns, rivers, lakes, roadways and an assortment of additional topographical details.

After the defeat of Napoleon, the Congress of Vienna created The German Confederation to coordinate the economies of these separate but culturally related German-speaking countries. The Confederation acted as a buffer zone between Austria and Prussia, the two largest and most powerful member states. Nonetheless the rivalry between the two powerful states increased until the break out of the Austro-Prussian War. Prussia won the Austro-Prussian War in 1866 which ultimately led to the collapse of the German Confederation. A few years later, in 1871, most of the former Confederation states were folded into the newly proclaimed German Empire.

This map was engraved by J. Brown and issued as plate no. in xin x in the 1844 edition of Black's General Atlas.