Current planning status of the Atlas of the Federal Republic of Germany

Summary

This article presents the latest planning status of the Atlas of the Federal Republic of Germany. Initiated after German reunification in 1990 by several geographical organizations, the project initially envisioned an ambitious, encyclopedic atlas with a budget of around 30 million Deutschmarks, but was halted in 1994 due to its excessive scale and costs. In 1995, the Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography (IfL) in Leipzig took over the project and developed a new, more flexible and pragmatic concept: the atlas is planned to be completed within 6 to 8 years in 13 volumes, including 2 basic structure volumes and 11 thematic volumes covering topics such as nature, population, economy, and urban development. The new approach emphasizes problem-oriented content, digital cartography, multimedia presentation, and cost control, with a loose-leaf format for sequential publication. The article also discusses the current funding and organizational dilemma, as well as the work plan for 1996, including establishing editorial structures, seeking external support, applying for research grants, and developing technical standards.