Historical Maps of Sweden
The Historical Maps website is a presentation of large parts of Lantmäteriet's (the Swedish mapping, cadastral and land registration authority) unique and invaluable collection of historical maps. The collection comprises more than a million maps from all parts of Sweden!
It is possible to search through the material in two different ways: via a simple search from the Historical Maps homepage by clicking on an area in the map and selecting a district from within the frame to view all historical maps which have a connection to the chosen area; or using the 'Advanced Search' option to search directly in one of the three different archives.
Swedish law determines how data that includes personal information can be used. Public access is, therefore, restricted for any database which includes personal information concerning persons currently alive. For this reason, only archives created before 1928 can be accessed.
Lantmäteriet (the Swedish mapping, cadastral and land registration authority) dates back to 1628 when King Gustav II Adolf decided to set up a national Land Survey. The King instructed the mathematician and cartographer Anders Bure to establish and train a team of land surveyors to carry out a systematic mapping of the whole of the kingdom. After completing the training and initiating this task, Anders Bure was given other responsibilities and the Land Survey was placed under the aegis of the Crown Lands Judiciary Board.
Initially, cadastral mapping began with geometrical (large-scale) mapping of rural properties, villages, and towns etc. These earlier maps were drawn at a scale of 1:4 000. Cadastral mapping developed from the middle of the 1600s with extensive geographical mapping. The mapping included parishes, hundreds, provinces, coasts, islands, archipelagos, waterways and roads. These maps, which were drawn at scales between 1:10 000 and 1:150 000, often cover a large geographical district and are included in the Land Survey Board archive.
Towards the end of the 1600s, land survey offices began to be established in several of Sweden¿s county government centres and geometric mapping became once again a central part of the surveyors¿ work. Large-scale mapping has always been carried out for different purposes including for taxation, for resolving land disputes and sub-division. In earlier times arable land was fragmented as a result of centuries of inheritance and marriages. The purpose, therefore, was to adjust and amalgamate these small pieces of land to create as few holdings as possible.
Through the years large-scale maps had many purposes and were used, among other purposes, for tax settlements, resolving ownership disputes and allotment.
Because of the great significance of these maps the issue of archiving has always been important. Maps and the corresponding documentation were stored separately from the administrative documentation. The increase in regional activities during the first half of the 1800s brought the safe-keeping of the archive into focus. This was often the reason for the establishment of a more permanent location in conjunction with the other state administrative bodies in the residential cities.
Economic (land use) and topographic mapping became more systematic in the 1800s
and this gave rise to the creation of the Geographical Survey Archive. This archive contains small-scale maps produced between the mid-1800s and the end of the 1970s, and includes economic maps, topographic (Ordnance Survey) maps and the Hundred Map (economic map of a hundred).
All the maps and corresponding cadastral documentation that have been produced since the inception of the Land Survey have been meticulously archived. This map collection is internationally unique and includes more than a million historical maps.
A decision was taken to digitise the archive in order to protect and minimise the use of the originals whilst still maintaining a high level of accessibility.
Accordingly, a project began around the year 2000 to scan the historical maps, store them in a digital archive called Arken and allow access to them via the Internet. This project is planned to be completed by the end of 2009.
Geographical Survey Office Archive
This archive contains an Economic, Topographic (Ordnance Survey) and Hundred's (Economical map of a 100) map. Three large maps describing topography, economy, settlements and communications during the 19th and 20th century. The maps show a scale of 1:10 000 or less. Each map is divided into grids or pages covering sections of Sweden.
Land Survey Board Archive
This archive contains material from 1628 to the 1900's. There are road maps, county and landscape maps, general maps, parish maps, city maps, atlases and restorations, hand-drawn copies of the regional authorities` land reform maps and other cadastral documentation. As a rule, the maps are at a scale of 1:5 000 and larger.
Regional Archive
The regional archive is a virtual archive that includes both municipal and Lantmäteriet¿s cadastral dossiers. There are maps from the land reforms carried out during the periods1750-1827 and 1828-1972 and many other cadastral maps. The most common map scales for the historical material are 1:4 000 and 1:8 000, while the modern material are at scales which varied depending on the type of cadastral process.
This cadastral archive also contains detail plans and other decisions which among other things show how future land use was planned.
About Historical Maps
The Historical Map web service gives free access to large parts of the map and cadastral archive belonging to the National Land Survey of Sweden. This service also allows for the purchase of both printed and digital copies of information.
