Ein Leben für die Kartographie: Zum Tode von Prof. Dr. h.c. Eduard Imhof

Summary

This commemorative article reviews the life and achievements of Swiss cartographer Eduard Imhof (1895–1986), emphasizing his formative influence on modern cartographic education, theory, and practice. Drawing on his academic career, publications, maps, atlases, institutional service, and professional leadership, the article traces his development from a surveying engineer and topographer into an internationally recognized authority on cartographic design. During forty-six years at ETH Zurich, Imhof established and expanded its Cartographic Institute, cultivated close, practice-oriented relationships with students, and developed influential approaches to relief representation, aerial-perspective coloring, and clear graphic composition. His major textbooks on cartographic terrain representation and thematic cartography systematized these principles and retained their relevance despite subsequent technological change. His exceptionally broad output included more than 200 articles, numerous school atlases and maps, and the editorial supervision of approximately 400 maps for the first edition of the Atlas of Switzerland. Imhof also shaped Switzerland’s official mapping policy by advocating a comprehensive national map series and advising on map revision, place-name conventions, and federal surveying operations. Internationally, he helped establish the International Cartographic Association and served as its first president. The article concludes that Imhof united artistic sensitivity, scientific rigor, pedagogical commitment, and institutional leadership. His legacy lies not only in an extraordinary body of work but also in the enduring professional obligation to uphold and advance high-quality cartographic graphics.