Refined map, engraved and published in 1835 in Berlin by the Prussian cartographer Friedrich Wilhelm Streit, depicting the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia, then part of the Austrian Empire. Taken from the Atlas von Europa, a series of maps dedicated to contemporary European states, illustrating the political geography of the continent in the aftermath of the Congress of Vienna (1815).
The map stands out for the precision and elegance of its engraving, typical of German cartography in the first half of the 19th century.
The political boundaries are carefully delineated through the use of colored lines: in particular, the outline of Lombardy-Venetia is highlighted in red, while the borders with neighboring states (the Kingdom of Sardinia to the west, Switzerland to the north, the Austrian Empire proper to the northeast, and the Papal States to the south) are clearly marked.
The territory is divided into two large administrative sections:
I. Gouvernement Mailand (Milan), comprising Lombardy;
II. Gouvernement Venedig (Venice), comprising Veneto.
Within these areas, the districts or “Delegationen” are indicated, numbered and accompanied by an explanatory legend.The main cities—Mailand (Milan), Venedig (Venice), Verona, Brescia, Bergamo, Vicenza—are represented by a symbol that differs from those used for smaller towns and villages, as shown in the key at the bottom right.
At the bottom left is the main title block with the full title and publication details.
The indication of military rank (“Major a. D.”, retired major of the Prussian army) highlights the author’s technical and scientific background, typical of cartographers trained in the military.
At the bottom right, there is a box with two sections:
Eintheilung (Subdivision), which lists the districts (“Delegationen”) of the two governments of Milan and Venice;
Zeichen und Erklärung (Signs and explanations), a symbolic legend explaining the graphic representation of towns, roads, borders, fortresses, monasteries, and hills.
The use of geometric symbols and lowercase letters allows for a quick administrative reading of the territory, revealing a focus on clarity and informative effectiveness.
In 1835, the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia was one of the richest and most strategically important provinces of the Austrian Empire. Created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna, it united two historically distinct regions—Lombardy and Veneto—under the sovereignty of the House of Habsburg, with Milan as its administrative capital and Venice as the seat of the viceroy.
The map therefore reflects a phase of administrative and military consolidation of Austrian rule in northern Italy, during a period of growing national unrest which, a few decades later, would lead to the Risorgimento uprisings and the annexation of the territory to the Kingdom of Italy (1859–1866).
Friedrich Wilhelm Streit (1769–1836) was a German geographer and cartographer, active between the end of the 18th and the first half of the 19th century. An officer in the Prussian army, he rose to the rank of major and subsequently devoted himself to geographical research and the compilation of school and scientific atlases. His best-known work, the Atlas von Europa (published posthumously and updated until 1830–1840), was conceived as a political and geographical atlas intended for an educated and military audience. His maps are distinguished by their topographical accuracy, graphic clarity, and administrative precision, the result of a technical and systematic approach derived from his military experience.
