Map of the county of Mark and the adjoining territories “NOVA COMITAT. MARCKENSIS tabula Finitimorumque locorum verissima descriptio. Ann. 1608”,

In the 16th century, cartography became the epitome of scientific exploration of the world. The oldest map of the county of Mark, which survives only in this original copy, provides a first insight into the topography of the later Ruhr area. It was a joint work of various cartographers and shows about 550 towns and villages in the colour-coded territories as well as the course of the Ruhr and its tributaries.