Zur Erinnerung an Eduard Imhof

Summary

This commemorative issue honors Eduard Imhof, the Swiss cartographer, scientist, artist, and teacher who died in 1986, and evaluates his legacy through discussions of his scholarship, maps, biography, unpublished writings, sketches, and watercolors. Imhof’s name remains associated with more than a thousand maps that he edited, numerous articles, and two major textbooks, Cartographic Relief Presentation and Thematic Cartography. The issue presents his essay “The Splendor and Misery of Cartography,” which he regarded as his intellectual testament, while also revealing less familiar dimensions of his life and personality. The central assessment argues that Imhof united artistic intuition with systematic scientific inquiry. Rather than merely producing visually impressive maps, he sought to explain why particular graphic solutions succeeded or failed, communicating his conclusions through accessible prose and exceptionally effective illustrations. His theory of terrain representation centered on the Swiss relief map, a demanding form designed to render mountainous landscapes with maximum clarity and plasticity. It integrated contours, shading, color, relief modeling, and reproduction methods while balancing geometric accuracy, legibility, and visual realism. His work on thematic cartography drew substantially on his experience as editor-in-chief of the Atlas of Switzerland. By grouping the diversity of thematic maps into a limited number of structural or organizational types, he showed that identifying the conceptual model of a subject largely determines the appropriate graphic method. Such principles help prevent serious representational errors and remain relevant to computer-assisted mapping and knowledge-based expert systems. The historical discussion traces the development of terrain depiction from nineteenth-century hachures—organized either by slope steepness or simulated illumination—toward accurate contour lines and modern shaded relief. Against this background, Imhof appears both as an heir to traditional engraving and as a major innovator in cartographic visualization. His influence extended well beyond research and map production. As a university professor, lecturer, and organizer of international courses, he trained generations of cartographers, engineers, and scholars, consistently making visual demonstration central to teaching. His initiative led to the creation and continuing publication of the Atlas of Switzerland, enabling many scientific fields to communicate inventories and research findings cartographically. He also helped establish the International Cartographic Association and thereby encouraged sustained international exchange while defending map graphics against an overly narrow focus on technical and computational issues. Although he rarely developed production technologies himself, his uncompromising demands concerning screening, color, printing, and overall graphic quality stimulated technical improvement. The issue ultimately presents his enduring message as especially pertinent in the digital age: advanced tools alone cannot guarantee excellent maps. Lasting cartographic quality depends on disciplined graphic judgment and on the integration of science, art, technical precision, and intelligible visual communication.