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Friedrich Wilhelm Delkeskamp (1794–1872)
Panorama of the Rhine and the Adjacent Country, from Cologne to Mayence  1835
Courtesy of the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin—Preussischer Kulturbesitz

 

Panorama of the Rhine and the Adjacent Country
1835

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Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin—Preussischer Kulturbesitz
Berlin
Germany

Rhine panoramas offer a typically romantic view of the river in the early nineteenth century. When the Rhine came to be regarded not only as a trade route, but also as a tourist destination, the market increased for maps and views of the river's course. Published with separate notes and marginal images as a supplement to travel handbooks, the strengths of the panoramas lay in their three-dimensional representation, which assisted the reader in their orientation. With steamship travel becoming more popular, followed by train travel, the accordion-fold style of the Rhine maps also offered a space-saving information source about beauty spots along the course of a journey.

The example displayed here shows the central Rhine Valley from Mainz to Köln (Cologne). Cities and castles are included, as are prominent cliffs, picturesque ruins and the Lorelei rock whirlpool with its famous echo (which legend said was a siren's song enticing sailors to shipwreck on the rock). Above and below, the panorama is extended by supplementary maps of the entire course of the river. This English-language edition shows the particular importance of this section of the Rhine to British readers.

The British were great travellers. In the eighteenth century, no well-bred young man's education was complete until he had undertaken the Grand Tour, travelling through Europe with a tutor or guardian. Many hardships of eighteenth-century travel were eliminated in the nineteenth century with the rise of steamships and railways. With the use of panoramic maps and printed guidebooks, travelling became easier and more informative.