1845 Ewing Map of Germany

This is a lovely example of Thomas Ewing's 1845 map of Germany in two parts. The map covers all of Germany from Denmark to Switzerland and depicts individual German states. Throughout, various cities, towns, rivers, lakes, roadways and an assortment of additional topographical details are noted.

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. In 1848, the March Revolution swept through Europe, in particular Germany. These Revolutions were nationalist pro-German, pan-German, declarations of discontent with the archaic autocratic political structure that dated to the 39 original German states established under the Holy Roman Empire. The years following the violent suppression of the March Revolution saw a vast middle class exodus from the German states to the United States, leading to 'Germantown USA,' and popular interest among Americans in the Fatherland.

This map was published in 1845 by Oliver and Boyd as part of Ewing's New General Atlas.