Louny&Slany, Bohemia,- LAUNA, vulgo LAUN BOHEMIAE CIVITAS. together SCHLANIUM vulgo Schlani Bohemiae oppidum

Antique copper engraved print with panoramic views of Louny and Slany in Bohemia, by Braun and Hogenberg. With a key to six locations for Louny, from the rare 6th and last volume of 'Theatri praecipuarum Totius Mundi Urbium'
LOUNY, CAPTION: Launa, in German Laun, a town in Bohemia. CARTOUCHE: Procured by Georg Hoefnagel, drawn by his son.
COMMENTARY BY BRAUN (on verso): "The Taborites also appreciated the beautiful situation of this town, and therefore took it for themselves. In his 24th book Johannes Dubravius writes something that is on the one hand amusing, but on the other hand sad, namely that the Taborites believe that when the Day of Judgement comes, terrors await the wicked and the godless, and delights the pious, among which they count themselves. But not even the pious will be redeemed unless they live in one of the following five towns, namely Plzen, Louny, Lany, Klatovy and Zatec."

This view from the southeast from a slightly elevated viewpoint shows the well-fortified north Bohemian town situated close to the River Ohre (F). Louny is dominated by three large buildings: the gate tower on the right; the church of St Nicholas (E) with its 14th-century bell tower and late Gothic nave that was rebuilt by Benedikt Ried from 1520 to 1538 after the town was destroyed by fire; and the town hall (C) between these two buildings.
Located at a junction of trade routes, Louny was first recorded in the 11th century. It became a stronghold of the Taborites, a radical wing of the Hussites, who sought to build the Kingdom of God by armed force.

SLANY, CAPTION: Schlanium, in the vernacular Slany, a town in Bohemia. COMMENTARY BY BRAUN (on verso): "Slany lies almost halfway between Louny and Prague and is a handsome and elegant town. Dubravius writes in his 2nd book that it got its name from sal, which means salt, in the following manner. ... When peace reigned throughout the empire, the hope of a stroke of good fortune and a tolerable mode of life was fulfilled by the discovery of several salt veins, which are common in Bohemia but are not found in other countries, so that a large number of people soon settled here to boil and process the salt, and the town of Slany was built in a very short time."

The town is presented from the north from a slightly elevated position. It is dominated by the hill from which it takes its name, which can be seen on the left, and to the left of that church of the Holy Trinity. The tower of the town hall stands out clearly in the middle. Slany Hill was settled in Neolithic times, and the salt springs that were discovered here in the 8th century led to the foundation of the town around 1300. In the following centuries, it was granted many privileges and developed into an important commercial center.

The Civitates Orbis Terrarum, or the "Braun & Hogenberg", is a six-volume town atlas and the greatest book of town views and plans ever published: 363 engravings, sometimes beautifully colored. It was one of the best-selling works in the last quarter of the 16th century. Georg Braun wrote the text accompanying the plans and views on the verso.
A large number of the plates were engraved after the original drawings of Joris Hoefnagel (1542-1600), who was a professional artist. The first volume was published in Latin in 1572, the sixth volume in 1617. Frans Hogenberg created the tables for volumes I through IV, and Simon van den Neuwel created those for volumes V and VI. Other contributors were cartographer Daniel Freese, and Heinrich Rantzau. Works by Jacob van Deventer, Sebastian Münster, and Johannes Stumpf were also used. Translations appeared in German and French.

Reference: Van der Krogt 4, 2474; Taschen, Braun and Hogenberg, p.463.