Foundations, tasks and concept of a National Atlas of Germany

This paper reviews the historical evolution of German national atlas compilation, from the Nazi-era 'Atlas of the German Lebensraum' in 1933 to the divergent cartographic practices in East and West Germany after WWII. It analyzes the differences between the state-level planning atlases in West Germany and the centralized cartographic system in East Germany, and explores the challenges and opportunities for compiling a new 'Atlas of Germany' after reunification in 1990. Drawing on the experiences of national atlases from the Netherlands, Sweden, Spain, and Canada, the author proposes that the new atlas should serve as a national information system, adopt a modular structure with a problem-oriented approach, and be available in both print and electronic formats to comprehensively portray the natural, demographic, economic, and environmental conditions of a unified Germany.