„Natura noastră”. Cartografia în secolele XIX-XX

The exhibition highlights a selection of maps from the Cartography collection of the Brukenthal National Museum's library, illustrative of four branches that cartography developed during the 19th and 20th centuries. Specifically, maps of science and resources, communication and exploration, culture and tourism and, last but not least, politics and propaganda will be on display. 

The first section of the exhibition is an introductory one, providing visitors with examples of maps produced by some of the main players on the 19th century market. In addition to original maps published by Artaria & Comp. in Vienna or from the Geographical Institute in Weimar, one will be able to admire maps produced on the current territory of Romania, such as the Charta of the Grand Principality of Transylvania, by Spiridon Fetti and printed in Sibiu in 1862, in the broader context of the foundation of ASTRA.

In the section dedicated to resource maps, there is a map showing the production and distribution of tea around the world, another one depicting power plants in inter-war Romania and others.

The part dedicated to communication and exploration focuses on railway maps, e.g. The Romanian Railways from the interwar period, as well as other maps of European railroad transportation, printed at the dawn of this new technology. Also included here is a map of the trans-Atlantic telegraph from the early 20th century.

Although leisure travel is an age-old practice, in the 19th century, cartography witnessed a remarkable specialization and development in the field of tourist maps, whether urban or even mountain maps. In addition to city maps such as that of Brasov or Budapest, a 19th-century traveler in Central Europe had at his or her disposal an orientation map for the 1873 World Exhibition in Vienna.

The 20th century was one of the most traumatic in human history. Of course, cartography was also affected by the ideologies and, as Eric Voegelin called them, the political religions of the time. In the propaganda maps section, some particularly interesting examples of 20th century nationalism and imperialism will be exhibited.