Flensburg and Itzehoe,- Flensburgum [on sheet with:] Itzhoa Florentissimae Holsatiæ Op.

Two bird's-eye views by Braun and Hogenberg: Flensburg and Itzehoe.

FLENSBURG with COMMENTARY BY BRAUN (on verso): "This city lies between high mountains, on the shores of the Baltic Sea, with a harbour stretching into the city with such comfort, depth and safety that every citizen can load and unload ships from his own house. [...] Nearby there is a very fine castle on a hill, which has the same name as the city and which can be seen from far away."

This view from the east of the harbour city at the end of the Flensburg Fjord shows the long merchants' yards that are typical of old Flensburg - front-gabled houses on both sides of the main streets, with shops and behind them storerooms and workshops. The dominating buildings, from left to right, are the Gothic church of St Nicholas and the church of the Holy Spirit, both dating from the 14th century, and the church of St Mary. The 15th century castle of Duburg is on the far right, to the north of the city. In the foreground on the left is the Romanesque church of St John.

ITZEHOE with CARTOUCHE: Itzehoe, a town in flourishing Holstein.

COMMENTARY BY BRAUN (on verso): "Itzehoe, a renowned and brave town in Holstein, is admirable because of its good location and also its harbour and resulting trade [...]. For it is surrounded by the Stör, a river that is full of fish and ships. This rises in the middle of Holstein, flows past several towns [...] and joins the Elbe in the west before finally flowing into the sea."

This view from the northeast shows the favourable position of Itzehoe at the Stör crossing, which can be reached by sea-going merchant ships and where the main trade routes to the north, west and east fork. There was a border fortress here since AD 810, and a settlement grew up in the northern bank of the river, to which a Cistercian nunnery with the Gothic hall church of St Lawrence was added in 1256. Itzehoe was granted a municipal charter and staple rights in 1260, and the town expanded around a ducal castle on the southern bank of the river, on an island that may have been created artificially.
The town was almost completely destroyed in the Danish-Swedish War in 1657. Today Itzehoe has a population of 34,000 and is a modern commercial town with forests nearby. (Taschen)




Reference: Van der Krogt 4, 1324; Taschen, Braun and Hogenberg, p.307.