Historical maps

The 1:100,000 topographic map of Switzerland (Dufour Map) was the first official series of maps that encompassed the whole of the country. It was published in the period from 1845 to 1865 and thus coincides with the creation of the modern Swiss Confederation.

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.

The national maps of Switzerland that are in use today are based on the provisions of the legislation dating from 1935. These maps were implemented at varying scales and subsequently replaced the Dufour and Siegfried maps and their supplements.

The geodata produced by swisstopo are stored in a defined geodetic reference system.

In the 19th century – before the introduction of reference system CH1903 for the Swiss national survey – other reference systems and map projections were used, especially for producing the Dufour and Siegfried maps. These parameters are still useful today for analysing historical data. In addition to these two main map series, other special reference systems were developed in the second half of the 19th century, but they will not be dealt with here.

Take a journey through time with swisstopo’s historical maps and aerial photographs and get to know Switzerland from the past and the present.