KARTA ÖFVER KEMI LAPPMARK 1804


KARTA ÖFVER KEMI LAPPMARK 1804

Georg Wahlenberg plotted this Kemi Lapland map at the expense and request of Hermelin as the result of the trip to Lapland made in 1802. This picture is taken from the enlarged facsimile of 1994.

Georg Wahlenberg (1780-1851) was a Swedish natural scientist, geographer, doctor and professor of the University of Uppsala from 1828. He travelled mainly for the purpose of studying flora related matters, in Norrland in Norway and in Finland. The books Geografisk och ekonomisk beskrifning, om Kemi Lappmark (1804) and Berättelse, om... lappska fjällens höjd och temperatur vid 67 graders polhöjd (1808) were published based on these trips.

However, Wahlenberg’s most important work was Flora Lapponica (1812) a considerably extended version of the work of his compatriot Carl von Linné having the same name (1737). The pioneering aspect of Wahlenberg’s book was the account of the distribution of vegetation zones included in the introduction of the book.

Samuel Gustaf Hermelin (1744-1820) was a cartographer, baron and a mining counsellor who financed the surveying of the whole of Sweden, and above all the mapping of ore regions. The map publication (1797-1818) of Hermelin is the first comprehensive atlas of Sweden.

Hermelin was granted permission to use the maps of the National Land survey of Sweden that were held secret until that time. He also had the exclusive right to publish maps from the country's regions for a period of 15 years. He was even allowed to employ the ships and tools of the kingdom for the performance of his tasks.

1797

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This site was implemented as part of the Digmore, Digital Cultural Heritage Project in 2005-2006. The aim of the project was to make the cultural heritage of Lapland more easily available for various actors, experts, researchers, educational institutions and the general public.

A total of fifteen individual map documents and a facsimile of Olof Tresk’s atlas Kemi och Torne lappmarker 1642-1643 have been digitised for these pages.
The maps:
Public Domain
The site is updated 2021.

Culture Pictures of Lapland -www-site

Rovaniemi City Library, Lapland-Department.
Jorma Eton tie 6, 96100 Rovaniemi
+358 50 315 1487,
kirjasto.lappi-osasto at rovaniemi.fi

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    “In the 1960s the grants were rather generous, as it was also the intention of the town administration to express Rovaniemi as being suitable for housing the Regional Library. A regional collection was one of the criteria for the selection. This was of great interest to me, as I used this collection for my work as an author and writer. Maps represented part of the antiquary acquisitions.

    I was actively involved with a number of sources including, for instance, antiquarian booksellers in Helsinki who I visited and I was presented with some lists of the collections. I also travelled to Stockholm to purchase books and maps from the local antiquarian booksellers. In practice, a number of these purchases were handled by the publishing house Lehtikirjakauppa, but occasionally I would purchase some myself and claim the money back from the town administration. As there were, and still are, a number of forgeries around, I learnt to sort the rubbish from the genuine articles, and I'm rather confident that no fake maps were acquired. I also extended my search for acquisitions to the fair in Frankfurt and visits to the local antiquarian booksellers. I collated lists from a number of countries.

    I recall Lennart Meri being both intrigued and in great admiration of the maps. It was my understanding that he too was a collector. When the maps were hung along the office corridors and on the walls of the outdoor foyer, Lennart was shocked: Anyone at any time could steel these rare and valuable items. I told him that stealing is illegal in Finland, and stealing from a public collection is an especially harshly punishable offence. Some of the maps I have purchased for my personal collection. The wall of my study has a map of Archangel printed in 1758 in Venice.

    It was not only an interesting time, but also a very educational one. Governer Lassinantti followed my acquisitions with great interest and gave me some excellent tips. Back then, there was also a bit of competition, as for instance the Kemijoki hydropower company managed to reserve rare books and maps before I had time to go through all the antique book lists. I have to admit that Lapland themed works still catch my eye, and I wonder why no one has bought them yet..."

    (Jorma Etto, the Chief Librarian at the Regional Library of Lapland 1961-1984. A letter in March 2006).



    SOURCES:

    Annanpalo, Heikki. Bringing the North Calotte to the knowledge of Europeans, Rovaniemi (2007). [pdf-document].

    Bure, Andre. Pohjoismaiden kuvaus v. 1626. Suomennos, johdanto, selitykset Tuomo Pekkanen. SKS 1985. (Suomalaisen kirjallisuuden seuran toimituksia 427).

    Lainema & Nurminen. Ultima Thule. Pohjoiset löytöretket. Helsinki 2001. - Ultima Thule. Arktiska upptäcktsfärder. Helsingfors 2001. - Ultima Thule. Arctic explorations. Helsinki 2001.

    The A.E. Nordenskiöld collection in the Helsinki University Library. Annotated catalogue of maps made up to 1800. Volumes I-V. Helsinki University Library 1979-1995.

    Pietilä, Anna-Maija. Kansalliskokoelman mikrokuvatut kartat ennen vuotta 1810. Helsingin yliopiston kirjasto 1984.

    Pohjoiskalotin historiallisia vaiheita. Kartta- ja kuvanäyttely 1500-1800 –luvuilla / Nordkalott i historisk perspektiv. En utställning av kartor och vyer från 1500- till 1800-talet. Finnair 1984.



    IMPLEMENTATION:

    Texts, information on maps and cartography and translations of texts related to the Tresk maps:
    Jukka Peltonen, Rovaniemi City Library,
    Irene Piippola, Rovaniemi City Library.

    Web design and realisation by K. Simonlehto, 2021.
    Translation into English: Peter Culley.