Q. Name of project
Karten zur politischen und administrativen Entwicklung Deutschlands 1806 bis 1989
Q. Name of project IN ENGLISH
Maps on the political and administrative development of Germany 1806 to 1989
Q. Principal researcher(s)
Andreas Kunz (Mainz), Joachim Robert Moeschl (Berlin)
Q. Who can/should be contacted now, and how?
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Name: |
Dr. Andreas Kunz |
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Postal Address: |
Institut fuer Europ. Geschichte. Alte Universitaetsstrasse 19, 55116 Mainz, Germany |
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E-mail Address: |
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Web site: |
Q. When did research begin?
Work on computerized maps began in 1987 as part of a project on transport statistics. Work on boundaries began in the early 1990s.
Q: Is the project still in existence? If it has ended, when did it end? If it still exists, when is it expected to end?
Yes. End depends on further funding.
Q: What institution(s) was/is the project based in?
Work was begun at the Free University of Berlin and transferred to the Institute of European History Mainz in 1990. The cartography ist still done at Berlin.
Q: How many people were/are employed, and for how long? Were these people recruited specially for the project, or were they already employed by the institution(s)?
The project employs one cartographer on a irregular, outout-oriented basis.
Q: How much did the project cost?
Approximately DM 50.000 (€ 20.000), pertaining to the boundary maps only.
Q: Who paid for the project?
German Research Council (DFG) and the Institute of European History.
Q: If the project is still underway, has all necessary funding to complete the project been raised?
No, unfortunately not.
Q: How easy has it been to raise the money?
Not easy at all. Initially, some funds were raised in conjunction with a project on compiling transport statistics. Since then funding has been difficult and intermittent.
Q: Other than raising the money, what are the biggest problems your project has faced?
Convincing people who know next to nothing about computerized cartography on the merits of this approach.
Q: How likely is it that further funding might be raised within your country for a collaborative European project?
Chances seem quite good, because my Institute has begun placing emphasis on supporting basic research with a European dimension.
Q: What geographical area is covered by the project? What is the MODERN legal status of this area?
Germany in her various borders since 1806 a) redefining territorial divisions (1806-1815) b) the German Confederation (1815-1870) c) the German Empire (1871-1918) d) the Weimar Republic (1919-1933) e) the Nazi period (1933-1945) f) the post WWII-period (1945-1989)
Q: Does the project aim to: (a) Reconstruct boundaries at a single date (b) Reconstruct boundaries at a series of dates (c) Construct a continuous record of changing boundaries over a period
Reconstruction of boundaries at a series of dates. Benchmark years selected thus far are: 1812, 1814, 1820, 1848, 1871, 1920, 1923, 1937, 1989. One aim of the project is to increase the number of benchmark years.
Q: What is the earliest date covered by the project?
Thus far 1812. It would be useful, though, to begin with a map of the "Old Empire" in 1806.
Q: What is the latest date covered by the project?
1989.
Q: What systems of units are included?
a) National boundaries (Germany and adjacent countries) b) Territorial boundaries (sovereign states and/or Laender) c) Provincial boundaries (in Prussia) d) Governmental Districts (Regierungsbezirke) e) Counties (selectively thus far)
Q: What is the project's final product?
a) Printed maps for specific refernce years b) A printed atlas and/or CD-ROM edition c) Inclusion in a "historical boundaries GIS" (possibly)
Q: What other publications has your project produced?
Three maps - all in colour - were printed in: Michael Hundt, Die mindermaechtigen Staaten auf dem Wiener Kongress, Mainz 1996 (= Veroeffentlichungen des Instituts fuer Europ. Geschichte, vol. 164). Detailed Maps, in black and white, appear there as well.
Q: What base map is/was used to record the information? When was it created, and by whom? Is it published or in an archive?
Internationale Weltkarte im Maßstab 1:1.000.000
Q: What scale was this base map on?
1:1.000.000
Q: If the base map was not already in digital form and your project created a digital version, how was this done?
Manual digitisation has been used.
Q: If your project constructed a record of boundary CHANGES, what sources of information were used? How was this information gathered?
Information to be submitted later
Q: What other maps besides the base map were used? When were they created, and by whom? What scale were they on? What boundaries did they show? How reliable are they?
Information to be submitted later
Q: Did your project make any use of DESCRIPTIONS of boundaries? Who created these? Where are they preserved? What problems did you have converting this information into lines on maps?
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Q: Please give full publication details (author(s), title, place of publication, date of publication):
See above.
Q: What scale(s) are the published maps on?
1:4.000.000 (approximately)
Q: What boundaries do they show?
German territories in 1812, 1814, and 1820.
Q: Do they try to show boundary changes over time? If yes, HOW do they show changing boundaries?
Yes, sequential years!
Q: What software was used?
The computer mapping software THEMAK2, Version 3.1 has been used. THEMAK is not a GIS, but its files can be read by KYLIX GIS.
Q: What were your reasons for your choice of software? If you started again now, would you use the same software?
Excellence in producing printed maps.
Q: Describe the data files making up the final system:
To be submitted later
Q: What map projection is used?
No projection. Tischkoordinaten (table coordinates?) have been used.
Q: Assess the overall accuracy of your digital mapping:
Excellent. Detail maps can be taken down to the district level.
Q: From your existing experience, what methodological recommendations do you have for a larger collaborative project?
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Q: More generally, whatever the resource your project has actually created, and in the light of your experience with the project, what form of output SHOULD a new project have?
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Q: What place-names are built-in to your mapping? Is each point/area (node/polgon) labelled with a single name, or is there some system for linking to different versions of names?
Major cities like court residences, capitals, provincial and district centers. Single name approach used.
Q: Does the history/linguistic geography of your area raise special problems with naming places?
Yes, in the eastern provinces of Prussia as well as in (annexed) Alsace-Lorraine.
Q: What sources have you used to research place- and area-names for use in your system?
Maps and/or handbooks on historical locations.
Q: Are there any quite separate projects concerned with the history of place names or of administrative hierarchies in your area? If so, please give details? Are they using computers? Are they aiming to make their results available on-line?
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Q: Was the GIS/digital resource constructed for use by its creators ONLY, or was it intended for wider use?
Creator only
Q: Are you willing to make it available for use by others?
Under certain conditions, yes
Q: Are you willing to make it available for free, or for distribution costs only? If not, what plans have you for commercial distribution?
Unclear as of yet
Q: Is the resource available NOW? If so, how and from where?
No
Q: Are there any limitations on access?
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Q: What file format or file formats is the resource available in?
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Q: If the resource is available from the researcher/project that created it, what plans are there for distribution after the project ends/the researcher retires?
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Q: What plans are there for updating the data files for use with more recent versions of software?
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Q: What plans are there for updating the data files to include the results of more recent historical research?
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Q: Do you own all intellectual property rights in the resource created by your project? If not, what other rights exist, and who do they belong to? What limitations have they imposed?
Yes
Q: How have Intellectual Property Rights issues limited your project?
They have not
Andreas Kunz (Mainz, 2000)