THE LUXEMBOURG HISTORIC TOWN ATLAS
Luxatlas is a digital and interactive historical town atlas of Luxembourg, based on open-source technology. It is published on the website “Luxatlas.lu” since 2019 and has since then been continuously expanded in terms of content and technically developed further. The atlas shows the urban development of the town since the mid-16th century in the form of digital and interactive maps, historical images and photos, and explanatory texts. An unlimited number of freely selectable map layers can be combined with each other when using the atlas; a total of 64 maps are available for this purpose. This is made possible by overlaying map layers and by a split screen with a slider. The digitised and georeferenced maps have been extensively rectified, in part by means of thousands of digital pinpoints (GCPs), so that they can be superimposed on each other in a precisely fitting manner. Story maps were developed for individual thematic focal points, which guide users virtually through the historical urban space in a guided or freely selectable sequence.
Luxatlas.lu documents historical processes of change diachronically and serves as an important tool for the acquisition of new knowledge. The superimposition of different cartographic time layers enables users to visualise and analyse specific questions individually. The town atlas therefore offers a basis for further research on urban development.
With regard to source criticism, it is important to point out that the atlas does not provide any “original” sources, even though the user may be given this impression. In fact, all the original sources used have been digitally revised and transformed to make them usable for the web atlas.
This process and the individual transformation steps are documented transparently on the website (“Quellengrundlage” and “Methodik” on the homepage).
Project partners:
- Ville de Luxembourg
- Lëtzebuerg City Museum
- Archives nationales de Luxembourg
- Administration du cadastre et de la topographie (Luxembourg)
- Commission luxembourgeoise pour la coopération avec l’UNESCO
- Archives Municipales (Ville de Luxembourg)