Early plan of Györ, Hungary

BRAUN, Georg & HOGENBERG, Frans.

Iaverinum vulgo Rab Anno 1594.
Cologne, c.1598, Latin text edition. Coloured. 360 x 510mm.

A plan of Györ after a sketch by Nicolao Aginelli of 1566, redrawn by Joris Hoefnagel for the fifth volume of the 'Civitates Orbis Terrarum', the first systematic atlas of town plans. In this volume were many plates illustrating events in the recent wars between the Holy Roman Empire and the Ottomans.

Although Braun's text describes the fortifications as 'impregnable', the title (lower left) tells how Györ was taken by the Ottomans in 1594 and held for four years. The situation of the city is reflected in the staffage: in the foreground are 'Heyducks' (mercenaries), a Polish knight (with arrows protruding from his shoulders) and a captured Turk with a horse with an ornamental saddle.

KOEMAN: B&H 5.
Stock ID : 16898