Johannes Wilhelm Liebenow (October 13, 1822 - July 21, 1897) was a German cartographer, topographer, and military officer. He was born and raised in the Neumark region. After attending school, he apprenticed as a merchant before joining the Prussian Army where he was assigned to the Garde-Artillerie. He became interested in geography and cartography, attending lectures at the University of Berlin and studying the topics on his own. As a result, he was transferred to the topographic department of the army's Große Generalstab, where he quickly caught the eye of higher ups. He continued to develop skills in surveying while also taking an interest in archeology and geology. He befriended and became a mentor of famed naturalist Alexander von Humboldt, who advised him to complete a map of the Hohenzollern lands, published in 1854 to great acclaim. In 1854, he took a position with the railway department of the Ministeriums für Handel, Gewerbe und öffentliche Arbeiten, while also maintaining various other cartographic projects. In the 1860s, he played a key role in the Prussian national survey, contributing significantly to some 350 maps. At the suggestion of Chief of the General Staff Helmut von Moltke he also undertook a years-long project resulting in a massive 164 sheet map of Central Europe, completed in 1884, though the initial portions relating to French-German borderlands were completed just in time to be used in the Franco-Prussian War. As a result, Liebenow was tapped by Otto von Bismarck to help draw a new Franco-German border at the end of the conflict. In the last years of his life, Liebenow took on several official positions related to public works and urban planning while also publishing map of his own and receiving many of the highest awards for science and military service in Germany. More by this mapmaker...

Berliner Lithographisches Institut (fl. c. 1850 - 1958), sometimes as 'Berliner Lithographisches Instituts,' was a lithographic printer and map publisher based in Berlin. Despite a long existence and prolific output, details of the company's history are limited. It was likely founded by one Julius Moser (not to be confused with the contemporary entomologist of the same name), whose name was sometimes added as a suffix to the company's name. It maintained a close relationship with the Prussian and then German military, producing topographical maps for its use. The company kept its location on the Potsdamer straße in western Berlin throughout its history. Learn More...