Early Mercator atlas from 1585 for the Würzburg University Library

Alumnus and long-time director of the Deegenbergklinik Bad Kissingen Professor Dr. Peter Deeg donated a rare, contemporary coloured atlas by cartographer Gerhard Mercator from 1585 to the library. On Friday, 20 March 2026, this outstanding donation was ceremoniously handed over in a festive event in the Special Collections Reading Room of the Central Library at Hubland.

Federal Minister Dorothee Bär (Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space) paid special tribute to the ceremonial handover. Professor Deeg and his family were joined by representatives from science, culture and the media.

Federal Minister Bär: "Really something special."

Federal Minister Dorothee Bär declared at the event:

"The fact that the library of the University of Würzburg has received a famous Mercator Atlas from 1585 from a generous private source is really something special. This historically important work is thus being made accessible for research and teaching. Libraries and university collections are an unlimited reservoir for future research questions and findings. The BMFTR has been supporting research into cultural heritage for many years. My institution will continue this commitment in the future - with a new funding strategy for the humanities and social sciences, which we will publish this spring."

The object donated is a very early Mercator Atlas, which the famous cartographer compiled and commissioned in its entirety during his lifetime. The work is found in only a few libraries worldwide and has not been on the antiquarian market for decades. With this donation, the University Library has acquired a work that coined the term "atlas" for a map work for the first time and is also regarded as a reference work by the creator of the famous Mercator projection, which is still the basis for the representation of maps today. Maximilian Stintzing, geographer and cartography expert at the Würzburg University Library, explained the scientific classification and significance of the atlas in the concluding part of the programme after the speeches by Federal Minister Bär and Peter Deeg.

Donation in the best hands

Professor Peter Deeg said at the handover:

"By handing over this Mercator Atlas to the Würzburg University Library, my family is helping to ensure that this work will be preserved for the future after some 450 years. It is now available for research and teaching at the University of Würzburg."

For the University Library, this donation is a cultural event of special significance. Head Librarian Dr. Hans-Günter Schmidt emphasised:

"To hand over such a rare and important work from private ownership to a public academic library is a great sign of trust and an expression of lived civic commitment."

The atlas will be integrated into the University Library's historical collections in future and will also play an important role in digitisation, IT and AI projects.

The University Library of Würzburg has already recently explored the development of the modern understanding of the measurement of the earth and the universe in the successful exhibition "Fakt-Fake: Wahrheiten und Weltdeutungen zwischen Magie und Lügensteinen" (2024). The library regularly presents important special collections to the general public with the #unique tour series.

Deeg's donation will live on productively in Würzburg - in the best of hands, both in terms of content and conservation. It is an extraordinary addition to the collection, a great vote of confidence and a tribute to the role of the university library as an educational institution in the region.

Contact

Würzburg University Library | Communication & Design, Phone: +49 (0)931 31-81281 E-mail: ub-kommunikation@uni-wuerzburg.de