Cracovia, minoris Poloniae metropolis

A view of the city of Krakow looking from the south. In the foreground, two men in traditional costumes. In the background, a panorama of Krakow with the Wawel Castle dominating the hillside above the city. The cartouche at top centre provides information about the city's name: "Cracovia, minoris Poloniae metropolis". The cartouche in the bottom left corner contains information about the most important buildings in the city.
This coloured copper-plate engraving comes from the last volume of Georg Braun and Franz Hogenberg’s „Civitates orbis terrarum” of 1617. The first volume of "Civitates Orbis terrarum” was published in Köln in 1572, the last and final volume appeared in 1617. The huge atlas of cities contains 546 panoramas, bird's eye views, and maps of cities from all over the word.