The Map of Silesia (Silesiae typus descriptus et editus a Martino Heilwig Neissense) by Martin Helwig is a unique example of European cartographical artefacts. Its value is mainly based on its being the first map of Silesia created on the basis of measurements and observations of the author, as well as information gathered from  the residents of the area during Helwig’s numerous trips around his home region of Silesia.

The map was made at a scale of around 1:530000, and with an unusual, (especially at that time) southern orientation. This means that Upper Silesia is located at the top of the map, and Lower Silesia at the bottom. Its rich contents include a rather detailed, but not entirely correct, hydrographic layout of the river, settlements (cities, castles, monasteries and villages), topography, (i.e. land cover such as forests), and handsomely-depicted landscapes, from Mount Ślęża overlooking the Wrocław Plain to the “Giant Mountains” (Karkonosze) with their clear Alpine features.

The author also included several interesting elements of Silesian history and culture. Among them are: the character of the Mountain Spirit known in Polish as Liczyrzepa (its first known depiction), the oldest episcopal school in Smogorzów (established in 966), and hops plantations in the area of Gliwice and Bytom. The entire map is decorated with ornamental cartouches with royal coats or arms of the Polish Jagiellonian Family and the Czech Habsburg Dynasty, and it has wide margins containing twenty-eight coats of arms of Silesian duchies and their capitals, interlaced with plant ornaments. Even today Helwig’s map delights us with its craftsmanship and the level of detail, unusual for those times.

Helwig’s Map was featured in the atlases of the greatest European cartographers and publishers, such as: Abraham Ortelius, Mercator (or – Gerardus Kremer), Joannes Janssonius, Jodocus Hondius, Joannes Bleau and Wacław Grodecki. As the oldest map, it’s often referred to as “the mother of all Silesian maps”.