Meyers Großer Handatlas

Meyers Großer Handatlas is a major German-language world atlas published by the Bibliographisches Institut, a prominent publishing house in Germany. It represents a long, traditional lineage of comprehensive encyclopedic reference publishing that defined German geography in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Andrees Handatlas, created by Richard Andree, was its primary competitor in the late 19th century, but Meyers Großer Handatlas eventually superseded it in popularity. Meyers was praised for its detailed topographical maps and its constant updates reflecting shifting European borders.

The atlas features highly detailed physical and political maps of the entire world, with a specific, heavy focus on the German Empire and Central Europe. Later editions also included detailed thematic maps covering geology, climate, and ethnography.

The Bibliographisches Institut, founded in 1826 by Joseph Meyer, began producing extensive atlases throughout the 19th century. The specific editions known as Meyers Großer Handatlas became a staple reference work across Germany in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.