Italy - Friuli/ Gorizia; Caspar Merian (1627–1686) - "Görtz in Friaul" (Gorizia) - 1651-1660

This mid-17th century map or engraving titled "Görtz in Friaul" (modern Gorizia in Friuli) was created by Caspar Merian, son of Matthäus Merian, active between 1651 and 1660. It depicts the town of Gorizia situated in the Friuli region of Northeastern Italy, near the border with present-day Slovenia. Historically, Gorizia was a significant fortified town with a castle and served as a political and cultural hub in the region. The depiction likely includes the town’s fortifications, streets, and notable landmarks, reflecting the military and urban design of that era. Caspar Merian continued the family tradition of detailed cartographic and topographic works, valuable for understanding the urban development and geopolitics of border regions in the Holy Roman Empire and the Venetian Republic’s sphere. Today, Gorizia's historical maps offer insights into the multiethnic and contested borderlands of Europe with influences from Italian, Slavic, and Germanic cultures. Such engravings interest historians, urbanists, and collectors focused on Central European early modern history and cartography.