1969 Bollman Bird's Eye View Pictorial Map of Jerusalem, Israel

This is a striking 1969 Herman Bollmann bird's-eye view pictorial map of Jerusalem printed with metallic ink.

A Closer Look

Oriented towards the north-northwest, the view focuses on the Old City of Jerusalem, depicting the city from Yemin Moshe to the Mount of Offense and from the Rockefeller Museum to Shim'a. Buildings throughout Jerusalem are illustrated in detail, including the Dome of the Rock, the Western Wall, the El-Aqsa Mosque, the Church of the Redeemer, and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in the Old City, which is surrounded by its ancient walls. Numerous gates in the walls are identified. Myriad small buildings are illustrated within the Old City, and the Jewish Quarter, Christian Quarter, Muslim Quarter, and Armenian Quarter are each labeled. Buildings and other sites outside the Old City are also illustrated and labeled, including the Church of the Tomb of the Virgin, Gethsemane, David's Tomb, the Church of Dormition, and the Yemin Moshe Synagogue. The Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim cemeteries are all identified. Numerous streets are identified. The whole is surrounded by a border bearing the name of Jerusalem, translated into sixteen different languages.

Jerusalem and the Six-Day War

Though no mention is made of the conflict, this map was published soon after the 1967 Six-Day War, during which Israeli troops occupied East Jerusalem, including the Old City. After avoiding conflict in the area for weeks out of concern for damaging holy sites, Defense Minister Moshe Dayan suddenly changed direction and sent Israeli paratroopers to take the area in a lightning strike on June 7, 1967. They faced little resistance, and Israel has occupied East Jerusalem and the Old City ever since. Incidentally, Wim Van Leer, who commissioned and published the map, was a philanthropist whose family trust promotes Arab-Israeli dialogue.

Publication History and Census

This map was published in many different editions and states, all of which were created by Herman Bollman, who was commissioned by Wim van Leer. The present example was published in Haifa, Israel, by Wim van Leer in 1969, with unforgettable metallic ink. Editions of this same vertically oriented map printed with more conventional ink were also produced. A larger horizontally oriented piece was also created and encompasses more of the city. Every edition bears the same copyright information, indicating that they were created and published simultaneously. We are aware of examples of each of these editions, which vary in rarity. The present example is rare for this metallic printing process.