Neue Formen, Konzepte und Strukturen von Nationalatlanten

Summary

This article examines the transformation of European national atlases in the early 1990s, focusing on changes in their forms, concepts, production methods, organizational structures, and intended uses. Traditional national atlases were largely based on the model developed by Salishchev and Lehmann for the International Geographical Union: they presented a detailed, positivist inventory of a country through a predetermined sequence of themes derived from the conventional regional-geographical scheme. Recent atlases of Belgium, Hungary, Italy, and Switzerland still retain elements of this model, but they also introduce extensive explanatory texts, application-oriented and problem-focused maps, cross-references, synthesis maps, and representations of social change and environmental conditions. National atlases are therefore shifting from static inventories of territory and economic resources toward instruments that identify contemporary problems, support research, and communicate the state of society and the environment to a broader public. The Dutch, Swedish, and Finnish projects exemplify a more human-centered approach by treating physical resources primarily in relation to inhabitants’ living conditions. Their publication in smaller thematic volumes also marks a departure from the monumental atlas as a prestigious national showcase. Computer-assisted production further enables parallel paper and electronic editions whose contents may complement rather than duplicate one another. Emerging digital atlases are classified into three types: view-only atlases with fixed displays, interactive atlases that allow users to alter colors or classifications, and analytical atlases that support the visualization and evaluation of freely selected combinations of attribute data. Electronic environments weaken the importance of a prescribed map sequence and permit users to reorganize materials according to specific questions, themes, or scales. Functions such as changing data resolution, highlighting areas with identical values, switching between absolute and relative values, and displaying information by grids or administrative units can reveal new spatial patterns. Nevertheless, an atlas remains a deliberate, systematic, and ordered combination of maps. Its narrative structure distinguishes it from a geographic information system, even when users are granted substantial freedom of navigation and analysis. The article argues that future national atlases must be not only informative but also visually compelling. Because static cartographic images now compete with television, video, and computer games, atlas makers need stronger narratives, multimedia integration, and even exploratory or adventure-like scenarios to attract especially younger audiences and justify high production costs. Delays in current atlas programs should thus be regarded as opportunities to rethink concepts, scripts, and user experiences. A new generation of national atlases should combine cartographic rigor, problem orientation, interactivity, flexible scale and thematic access, and engaging storytelling in order to meet the technological and communicative challenges of the electronic age.