Map collection
swisstopo’s map collection contains all first editions and revised versions of the official Dufour Map, Siegfried Map and National Map, together with their (often hand-drawn) graphic material. The catalogue of the map collection can be viewed online, and all sheets of the National Map are available in digital form.
Key data and features
With the official maps produced from 1840 onwards, together with their largely hand-drawn documentation, swisstopo’s map collection contains Switzerland’s oldest geographical reference data. The approximately 29,000 printed maps and 23,000 manuscript maps (hand-drawn originals) form the most comprehensive collection of historical geodata in Switzerland.
Background information on the Dufour Map
The 1:100,000 Topographic Map of Switzerland (Dufour Map) was the first official series of maps that encompassed the whole of Switzerland. It was published in the period from 1845 to 1865 and thus coincides with the creation of the modern Swiss Confederation.
Background information on the Siegfried Map
The original surveys for the Dufour Map were used for the publication of the 1:25,000 / 1:50,000 Topographic Atlas of Switzerland (Siegfried Map), which was produced between 1870 and 1926 as a co-operation between the federal government and the cantons, based on two Federal Acts dating from 1868.
Background information on the National Map
The National Maps of Switzerland that are in use today are based on the provisions of the legislation dating from 1935. The National Maps were implemented in varying scales up until 1993 and subsequently replaced the Dufour and Siegfried maps and their supplements.
Comments about this page:
TopographyLast updated: 04.08.2011
– Online catalogue of the Swiss Federal Administration Libraries