Original oder abgekupfert – Aufbau einer Genealogie von Altkarten mit Hilfe digitaler Methoden

The lecture grew out of Solchenbach's dissertation, which earned him his doctorate at the University of Luxembourg, where he headed a research project on the "Comparative analysis of historical maps of the Rhine-Meuse-Moselle region from the late 15th century to the Congress of Vienna". Dr Karl Solchenbach's research was based on estimates that 90 percent of printed old maps (before 1800) are more or less direct copies of older maps. Authors and publishers often did not shy away from plagiarism in order to keep the costs of maps low. In his lecture, Solchenbach explores the question of how it is possible to determine whether an old map contains original knowledge, e.g. gained from national surveys, or whether it is a dependent copy whose content is questionable and outdated. Mathematics graduate, who has worked in the IT industry, will show that dependencies between maps can be recognised with a high degree of certainty using an interdisciplinary combination of digital calculations and classical source criticism. Using this methodology, he has built up a map genealogy using the example of old maps of the Trier-Luxembourg region.

To round off the evening, the "Friends of the der Gotha Research Library" association invites you to a small reception.