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ENGLISH-LANGUAGE BROCHURE about MERCATOR from THE MERCATOR MUSEUM IN SINT-NIKLAAS, BELGIUM (STEDELIJKE MUSEA SINT-NIKLAAS)
Sint-Niklaas Municipal Museums
MERCATOR MUSEUM
M. Mengels/14/01/02
The
commemoration of the 400th anniversary of Gerard Mercator's death on 2
December 1594, was the impetus for the renovation of the museum, which
was reopened on 26 March 1994.
The Mercator Museum allows the visitor to become
acquainted both with the rich Mercator collection of the Royal
Archaeological Society of the Land of Waas, the most important one in
Belgium, as well as with modern day cartographic techniques.
The permanent exhibition is set up like a triptych:
1/ history of cartography : an historical stroll through the ever-changing worldview;
2/ Mercator's treasure chamber: globes, maps and atlases by Mercator and his successors;
3/ modern cartography in Belgium (from 1831 through to present day).
As a means of introduction, it is made clear to the
visitor what a map actually is and what knowledge is needed in order to
make a map. Here, terms such as projection, scale, geodetic net are
explained.
The history of cartography before Mercator is
sketched with the use of examples of maps from Antiquity, the Middle
Ages and the age of discoveries.
Arrived in the 16th century, the visitor is confronted with a choice selection from the works of
Gerard Mercator.
Gerard
Mercator was born as Gerard de Cremer in Rupelmonde on 5 March 1512. He
always signed his work as Gerardus Mercator Rupelmundanus. In 1530, he
registered himself at the university in Louvain, where he studied the
humanities, and received the degree of 'magister artium' in 1532. After a
short stay in Antwerp, he returned to Louvain in 1535 and began
studying mathematics, under the tutelage of Gemma Frisius, and made
scientific instruments, in order to earn a living.
In 1537, he published
his first map, which was immediately successful: a map of Palestine,
meant to illustrate texts from the Bible. The following year, he
published a small map of the world in double heart-shaped projection.
Mercator acquired a
name with his Map of Flanders in 1540, that was dedicated to the emperor
Charles and which was quite accurate owing to the triangulation method.
The most highly
prized pieces of the historical section are without a doubt the original
terrestrial and celestial globes, made by Mercator in 1541 and 1551
respectively, and which were restored for the occasion of the Mercator
year.
In the meantime,
Mercator went through hard times: in 1544, he was imprisoned for seven
months in the Rupelmonde citadel on accusation of heretic sympathies.
He left Louvain in 1552 and settled in Duisburg on the Rhine, where he produced his most important cartographic works.
One of the first
masterpieces that saw the light of day here in 1554 was a map of Europe,
a milestone in the history of cartography. On a
astronomical-mathematical basis, he improved on the work of Ptolemy,
whose vision had determined the world picture up to the 16th century. In
1569, the world map 'Ad usum navigatium' or 'for the use of the
sailors' made its appearance, which was Mercator's last map in large
format and the first (and only) map on which he used the cylindrical
projection bearing his name. With this, it was possible for sailors to
chart their course on the map as a straight line.
In the years that followed, Mercator tried to
achieve his life's dream: the publication of a Cosmography, a synthesis
of the history of heaven and earth.
The name of
Mercator will always remain linked to the publication of the Atlas, a
cartographic overview of the modern world. The first part appeared in
1585, the third and final one not until 1595, after Mercator's death.
Together with the monumental wall maps, these and other publications
give a picture of Mercator's versatility.
The collection
is completed by a series of Mercator-Hondius atlases, published by
Jodocus Hondius after Mercator's death on the basis of the latter's
work.
After the
division of the Netherlands in 1585, the centre of cartography moved to
Amsterdam. The visitor continues on his way past splendid original maps
from the 17th century and following that, gets acquainted with famous
cartographers from the Austrian and French period (de Ferraris,
Delisle).
In the 19th
century, our own national cartography was created, of which the
evolution up to present day is the subject of the 'Modern cartography'
section, established in co-operation with the National Geographic
Institute in Brussels. Whereas the first and second panels could be
filled in by delving into the rich collections of the Royal
Archaeological Society of the Land of Waas, completed with a limited
number of lent items, for the development of a 'Modern Cartography'
section, the city council had to fully rely on co-operation from third
parties from outside of the region.
Through the
Mercator year, close contacts developed between the city council and the
National Geographic Institute, which as a federal public service
institution delivers a whole range of cartographic and geodetic products
and services, and as such, appeared to be the ideal partner for further
expanding the already existing Mercator Museum. On 30 November 1995, an
agreement of co-operation was signed by the city council and the
National Geographic Institute, in which the N.G.I, lends on a long-term
basis about 70 (mainly maps, plans, apparatus) and the city council
commits itself to supplying the infrastructure necessary to exhibit this
material.
This section
makes it clear which steps the N.G.I. has taken since its foundation in
1831 under the name 'Dépot de la Guerre', to become the establishment
that today delivers a whole range of cartographic and geodetic products,
assisted by state-of-the-art techniques.
Original maps,
plans, equipment and instructive panels illustrate the evolution from
the very first military 'ordnance survey maps', surveyed in the field,
via aerial photography up to the cartographic databanks of today. Terms
such as GIS (Geographic Information System), GPS (Global Positioning
System) and teledetection all belong here, just as the contribution by
various Flemish companies active in this high-tech sector.
The exhibition
makes it clear that besides being a science in full evolution,
cartography is also an everyday aid for anyone going on a trip, far away
or close to home, with uses in many fields and with a variety of
activities in our society. In the exhibition, we literally broaden our
field of vision and look into space from where satellites transmit
information about ourselves and our planet.
The world on a map: an unsolvable problem?
Since it was
discovered that the earth is round, cartographers have been wrestling
with the unsolvable problem that it is impossible to correctly put the
world on a map. In order to make the museum visitor aware of this
problem, he can first get acquainted with diverse cartographic
illustrations or map projections.
Period from 1831 to 1940
The start of the official Belgian cartography
The official
cartography in Belgium started in 1831 with the establishment of a
'Dépot de la Guerre', which was commissioned to research and gather
existing map material and to prepare maps for war-time operations, a
clearly military task. For years, and even up to this day, the official
topographical map has been known as the 'ordnance survey map'. However,
the activities of this establishment increased, equally in the
scientific realm as well as that of measuring, drawing and printing. The
Depot was thus renamed to the Military Cartographic Institute (1878).
In this period, the first large scale basic map was worked on, supported
by scientific data, for which all sorts of measurements were taken in
the field and frames of reference were established.
After W.W. II,
the Institute was not only transformed to the Military Geographic
Institute, but they also switched over to a totally different technique,
namely aerial photo-topography. Since 1976 and up to present day, the
establishment works under the name 'National Geographic Institute'. As a
federal public service establishment, the National Geographic Institute
publishes, besides the official topographic basic map, a whole range of
cartographic and geodetic products and services, making use of the most
advanced techniques.
Period from 1947 to 1988
The aerial photo between reality and map
Since 1947,
topographic maps have been produced with the use of aerial photos. Maps,
photos and apparatus from the N.G.I, archives make each step of the
whole aerial photo and topographic map process clear for the visitor.
Getting the basic map ready to print to a scale of 1:25,000 is a
tremendous amount of work. In order to overlap the whole country, 237
sheets were worked out in the period from 1947 to 1970. Maps to other
scales are derived from the basic map. Through means of generalisation,
maps to a scale of 1:50,000 and 1:100,000 were produced.
Cartography of the 90's
The basic map today to a scale of 1:10.000
In 1988, the
computer made its entry into the world of cartography. The editing and
processing of aerial photos has been thoroughly changed. The recorded
pictures are digitalised and the geographic information can be processed
into a map or a digital databank.
In addition to
the National Geographic Institute, a number of Flemish companies,
active in the cartographic sector, also display their products in this
panel of the exhibition.
The
cartography of the '90's cannot get along without terms such as GIS
(Geographic Information System), GPS (Global Positioning System),
Navstar (Navigation satellite system).
GIS: a map for everything - everything on a single map
Geographic information from computer to the map
A map offers
insufficient possibilities for clearly presenting all information about
three-dimensional objects (ground, undergrowth, habitats and
inhabitants, etc.). The legibility and the precision suffer. A
computer-controlled system was developed to file, manage and analyse the
three-dimensional information.
GPS: the position precisely determined
The star navigation system -GPS Navstar- enables
every user to determine via satellite his position, speed and time, at
any moment, anywhere on earth and regardless of the atmospheric
conditions. The space segment consists of 24 satellites in 6 orbits at
an average height of approximately 20,000 km. The N.G.I, calls on the
satellite system in order to determine with extreme accuracy the
co-ordinates of places.
Nowadays, the
hiker in the mountains, the yachtsman or the rally driver can also
purchase a receiving unit with which he can very easily determine his
position. The GPS receivers are also built into vehicles, in combination
or not with a board computer.
Teledetection: more than an aerial photo
Every phenomena on earth has the characteristic of
transmitting or reflecting electromagnetic radiation, according to its
own individual pattern and with a specific strength. Through this,
individual phenomena can be distinguished from one another.
Teledetection contains all the techniques with which, based on this
characteristic, data about far away phenomena can be recorded.
Through
teledetection, one can trace such phenomena as air pollution,
deforestation and the formation of desserts. The growth of cities and
urban areas, changes in the use of ground and natural resources can also
be better detected.
Opening hours:
Thursday to Saturday: from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday:
from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. closed Monday - Groups also by appointment
Opened all year long
Admission price:
2,50 € for individual visitors
Groups and those entitled to reduction: 2,00 € per person
Schools: 1,50 € per pupil
Guided tours upon request
Information: tel. +32-(0)3-777.29.42; fax +32-(0)3-766.50.57
e-mail: stedelijke.musea@sint-niklaas.be
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