Georg Matthäus Vischer (22 April 1628 – 13 December 1696) was an Austrian

topographer Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the land forms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps. Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary sc ...

, cartographer, engraver and

parish priest A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

in Leonstein (Upper Austria) and

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

. Vischer was born in Wenns (

Tyrol Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...

). Despite his clerical vocation,

geography Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, an ...

and topographical surveys were Vischer's true calling. On behalf of

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The character ...

and clergy he compiled maps and created engravings and drawings of more than 1000 cities, castles, manors, abbeys and cloisters in the regions of

Lower Austria Lower Austria (german: Niederösterreich; Austro-Bavarian: ''Niedaöstareich'', ''Niedaestareich'') is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Since 1986, the capital of Lower Austria has been Sankt P ...

Upper Austria Upper Austria (german: Oberösterreich ; bar, Obaöstareich) is one of the nine states or of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, an ...

Upper Styria Upper Styria (german: Obersteiermark), in the Austrian usage of the term, refers exclusively to the northwestern, generally mountainous and well-wooded half of the federal state of Styria. The southwestern half of the state around the capital of ...

Lower Styria Styria ( sl, Štajerska), also Slovenian Styria (''Slovenska Štajerska'') or Lower Styria (''Spodnja Štajerska''; german: Untersteiermark), is a traditional region in northeastern Slovenia, comprising the southern third of the former Duchy o ...

Moravia Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The m ...

and

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...

. In most cases Vischer's

engravings Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an in ...

are amongst the oldest preserved depictions of these structures. He is regarded as one of the most important Austrian

cartographers Cartography (; from grc, χάρτης , "papyrus, sheet of paper, map"; and , "write") is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an i ...

and topographers of his time.Vischer, Georg Matthäus on aeiou.at (German)
/ref> He died, aged 68, in

Linz Linz ( , ; cs, Linec) is the capital of Upper Austria and third-largest city in Austria. In the north of the country, it is on the Danube south of the Czech border. In 2018, the population was 204,846. In 2009, it was a European Capital ...

(

). File:Schloss-Kammer.JPG, Characteristic Vischer-Engraving of Kammer Castle on

Lake Attersee Attersee, also known as Kammersee, English sometimes Lake Atter, is the largest lake of the Salzkammergut region in the Austrian state of Upper Austria. It is Austria's third largest lake by area, surpassed only by Lake Constance and Lake Neusied ...

, 1672 File:Burg Starhemberg Vischer.jpg, Copper engraving of Starhemberg Castle, 1672 File:Wilferstorf, Vischerstich faerbig.jpg, Illuminated engraving of

Wilfersdorf Castle Wilfersdorf Castle is located in the Weinviertel (wine district) in the town of Wilfersdorf, in the Mistelbach ''For the town in Germany, see Mistelbach, Bavaria.'' Mistelbach an der Zaya (; Mistelbach on the (River) Zaya; Central Bavarian: ' ...

, 1674 File:Vischer - Topographia Ducatus Stiria - 035 Cilli - Celje.jpg, Celje, ''Topographia Ducatus Stiriae'', Graz 1681

Works

* ''Archiducatus Austriae Superioris Descriptio facta Anno 1667''. A Map of Upper Austria. * ''Archiducatus Austriae Inferioris Accuratissima Geographica Descriptio''. A Map of Lower Austria,

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

1670 * ''Topographia Austriae superioris modernae''. Copper Engravings of Upper Austrian Castles and Mansions (1674) * ''Archiducatus Austriae Inferioris Geographica et Noviter Emendata Accuratissima Descriptio'',

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

1697 * ''Topographia archiducatus Austriae Inferioris modernae 1672'',

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

1672 * ''Topographia Ducatus Stiriae'', Graz 1681

References

External links

''Topographia Austriae superioris modernae: das ist Contrafee und Abbildung aller Stätt, Clöster ... des Ertz-Herzogthumbs Österreich ob der Ennß''
E-Book from the Library of the University of Vienna
Archiducatus Austriae Inferioris Accuratissima Geographica Descriptio
(Vischer Map for Lower Austria für Niederösterreich): E-Book from the Library of the University of Vienna * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vischer, Georg Matthaus 1628 births 1696 deaths 17th-century Austrian people Austrian cartographers Topographers 17th-century engravers