Erhard Etzlaub

Erhard Etzlaub (born ca. 1455[?]-1465 in Erfurt; died 1532 in Nuremberg), was an astronomer, geodesist, cartographer, instrument maker and physician.

One "Erhart Etzlauber" became a citizen of Nuremberg in 1484, but his profession was not recorded on that occasion. Assuming that the "Eberhardus Eczleiben" who matriculated at the Erfurter Hochschule in 1468 is very probably the same person, then the year of his birth should be between 1455-1460 rather than later.

From letters from a third party dated 1500 and 1507, we learn that he was a well-known instrument ("compass") maker and a geodesist, and from a letter dated 1517, that "he had also practicised as a physician for at least four years" and that he "comes from Erfurt". In 1515, he declared himself to be an "astronomer and physician, from Erfurt University".

His death is officially quoted as the 15th entry in an official list of 20 people buried between December 20, 1531 and February 21, 1532. Therefore, he very probably died in January or early February 1532. There were no inheritors.

On the occasion of the Holy Year 1500, when many pilgrims were expected to go to Rome, he designed his famous "Rom-Weg" map (= the Way to Rome), a 41 x 29 cm wood engraving in stereographic projection to a scale of about 1:5,600,000. This is the earliest printed road map of central Europe. It is, as all of Etzlaub's maps, "south up". Distances between cities can be computed by dotted lines, where a one-dot-step means one German Mile (7400m). Coloured prints (according to author's innovative requirements) show political regions, too.

The area of the map is between latitudes 58° (Viborg, Denmark) and 41° (Naples). No longitudes are given, but Paris shows up at the western margin, and Budapest at the eastern one. Data may have been drawn from c.1421 Klosterneuburg Fridericus map as well as from Etzlaub's own interviews with travelling merchants.

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