Frankfort (Frankfurt) (am Mayn) captures the city in 1847 with the learned poise that defined the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge and the polished imprint of Charles Knight & Co., London. Steel-engraved lines and delicate outline color confer crisp legibility on a city poised between medieval enclosure and modern expansion. The River Main unfurls through the composition as both axis and lifeline, stitched to the opposite bank by a sequence of bridges and framed by the encircling city walls. Across this structure, the plan names the mercantile spine of the Zeil, the ceremonial breadth of Rossmarkt, and intimate lanes such as Liebfrauenstraße and Kirchgasse. A panoramic vignette view crowns the scholarship with atmosphere, offering a skyline of spires, quays, and river traffic.

At the city’s core, the map fixes the civic theater of Frankfurt: the Römer (Am Römer) anchoring the historic market square, and nearby Paulskirche poised on the cusp of its epochal role in 1848. The plan’s elegant, information-rich engraving distinguishes public buildings from their residential fabric, while the articulation of streets—Weckmarkt beside the river, Breite Gasse’s commercial bustle, and the Zeil’s linear emporia—reveals how markets, governance, and worship interlaced within an efficient medieval grid. Squares punctuate the texture, notably Rossmarkt and its adjoining promenades, forming a choreography of movement between commerce and ceremony. Even the remnants of fortifications are clearly inscribed, their transformation into pleasant walks presaged by avenues that arc along the former walls.

Beyond the Altstadt, the map traces growth corridors and neighborhood identities with uncommon clarity. Sachsenhausen on the south bank is shown as a self-possessed quarter, bound to the city’s commercial core by the Main’s bridges and a busy riverfront. Westward, Bockenheimer Landstraße points toward scholarly and residential development, while Neutorstraße signals gateways opening to regional trade and the Taunus routes. The Untermainanlage softens the river’s edge, a green counterpoint to wharves and warehouses, and Wallstraße marks the ring where defense yielded to promenade. Together these features display the mid-19th-century city’s evolving transportation logic—broadening thoroughfares, better-connected quays, and rationalized access—an urban organism modernizing without erasing its historical memory.

The SDUK’s cartographic ethos—clarity in the service of public learning—animates every element of this plan. The steel engraving’s fine hatch and stipple separate water, stone, and green with luminous precision, while the outline coloring guides the eye across districts and principal routes. An ornate cartouche evidences the era’s taste, yet never competes with utility; typefaces, numeration, and the measured scale speak to a didactic intention honed by Charles Knight’s editorial rigor. Most alluring, the inset panoramic vignette fuses art and geography: a scholar’s register of landmarks becomes a traveler’s first impression, compressing spatial knowledge into a lyrical, instantly intelligible view of Frankfurt upon the Main.

Historically, this is a city plan of uncommon consequence. Drawn on the eve of the 1848 revolutions, it frames the architectural protagonists—Paulskirche for assembly, the Römer for civic authority, market halls and squares for exchange—and shows how they interrelate by way of streets like Schillerstraße, Gerberstraße, Oberstraße, and Wilhelmstraße. The Zeil’s mercantile energy and Rossmarkt’s ceremonial breadth read as the city’s twin lungs, ventilated by bridges that connect to industrious Sachsenhausen. The surrounding walls, precisely delineated, remind us how quickly Frankfurt converted fortification into amenity, a model of 19th-century urban foresight. As a city map, it is notable not only for what it names, but for how elegantly it reveals the working anatomy of a metropolis on the threshold of modernity.

Streets and roads on this map

• Am Brücken
• Am Hauptbahnhof
• Am Römer
• Breite Gasse
• Bockenheimer Landstraße
• Frankfurtstraße
• Gerberstraße
• Grossmarkthalle
• Hauptstraße
• Kaiserstraße
• Kirchgasse
• Kleinmarkthalle
• Liebfrauenstraße
• Neutorstraße
• Oberstraße
• Rossmarkt
• Schillerstraße
• Schönstraße
• Sachsenhausen
• Taunusstraße
• Untermainanlage
• Untere Hochstraße
• Wallstraße
• Weckmarkt
• Wilhelmstraße
• Wilhelmstraße (Bürgermeisterstraße)
• Zeil

Notable Features & Landmarks

• Course of the River Main
• Bridges across the River Main
• Public squares
• Notable public buildings
• The surrounding city walls
• Inset panoramic vignette view of Frankfurt

Historical and design context

• Map Title: Frankfort (Frankfurt) (am Mayn)
• Date of Creation: 1847
• Mapmaker/Publisher: Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (SDUK); published by Charles Knight & Co., London
• Published in the SDUK Atlas (1847)
• SDUK mission: making complex subjects accessible to the public
• Topics and Themes: city planning, civic architecture, and transportation of mid-19th-century Frankfurt
• Regions Shown: Frankfurt am Main, modern-day Germany
• Design/Style: finely engraved with original outline hand colouring; ornate cartouche; clear spatial layout emphasizing public buildings and landmarks
• Historical Significance: snapshot of a period of significant urban expansion; reflects 19th-century cartographic practice

Please double check the images to make sure that a specific town or place is shown on this map. You can also get in touch and ask us to check the map for you.

This map looks great at every size, but I always recommend going for a larger size if you have space. That way you can easily make out all of the details.

This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 70in (180cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.

The model in the listing images is holding the 16x20in (40x50cm) version of this map.

The fifth listing image shows an example of my map personalisation service.

If you’re looking for something slightly different, check out my collection of the best old maps to see if something else catches your eye.

Please contact me to check if a certain location, landmark or feature is shown on this map.

This would make a wonderful birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, work leaving, anniversary or housewarming gift for someone from the areas covered by this map.

This map is available as a giclée print on acid free archival matte paper, or you can buy it framed. The frame is a nice, simple black frame that suits most aesthetics. Please get in touch if you'd like a different frame colour or material. My frames are glazed with super-clear museum-grade acrylic (perspex/acrylite), which is significantly less reflective than glass, safer, and will always arrive in perfect condition.

This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.

For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.

For most orders, delivery time is about 3 working days. Personalised and customised products take longer, as I have to do the personalisation and send it to you for approval, which usually takes 1 or 2 days.

Please note that very large framed orders usually take longer to make and deliver. 

If you need your order to arrive by a certain date, please contact me before you order so that we can find the best way of making sure you get your order in time.

I print and frame maps and artwork in 23 countries around the world. This means your order will be made locally, which cuts down on delivery time and ensures that it won't be damaged during delivery. You'll never pay customs or import duty, and we'll put less CO2 into the air.

All of my maps and art prints are well packaged and sent in a rugged tube if unframed, or surrounded by foam if framed.

I try to send out all orders within 1 or 2 days of receiving your order, though some products (like face masks, mugs and tote bags) can take longer to make.

If you select Express Delivery at checkout your order we will prioritise your order and send it out by 1-day courier (Fedex, DHL, UPS, Parcelforce).

Next Day delivery is also available in some countries (US, UK, Singapore, UAE) but please try to order early in the day so that we can get it sent out on time.

Read my full delivery and local production guide

My standard frame is a gallery style black ash hardwood frame. It is simple and quite modern looking. My standard frame is around 20mm (0.8in) wide.

I use super-clear acrylic (perspex/acrylite) for the frame glass. It's lighter and safer than glass - and it looks better, as the reflectivity is lower.

Six standard frame colours are available for free (black, dark brown, dark grey, oak, white and antique gold). Custom framing and mounting/matting is available if you're looking for something else.

Most maps, art and illustrations are also available as a framed canvas. We use matte (not shiny) cotton canvas, stretch it over a sustainably sourced box wood frame, and then 'float' the piece within a wood frame. The end result is quite beautiful, and there's no glazing to get in the way.

All frames are provided "ready to hang", with either a string or brackets on the back. Very large frames will have heavy duty hanging plates and/or a mounting baton. If you have any questions, please get in touch.

See some examples of my framed maps and framed canvas maps.

Alternatively, I can also supply old maps and artwork on canvas, foam board, cotton rag and other materials.

If you want to frame your map or artwork yourself, please read my size guide first.

My maps are extremely high quality reproductions of original maps.

I source original, rare maps from libraries, auction houses and private collections around the world, restore them at my London workshop, and then use specialist giclée inks and printers to create beautiful maps that look even better than the original.

My maps are printed on acid-free archival matte (not glossy) paper that feels very high quality and almost like card. In technical terms the paper weight/thickness is 10mil/200gsm. It's perfect for framing.

I print with Epson ultrachrome giclée UV fade resistant pigment inks - some of the best inks you can find.

I can also make maps on canvas, cotton rag and other exotic materials.

Learn more about The Unique Maps Co.

Map personalisation

If you're looking for the perfect anniversary or housewarming gift, I can personalise your map to make it truly unique. For example, I can add a short message, or highlight an important location, or add your family's coat of arms.

The options are almost infinite. Please see my map personalisation page for some wonderful examples of what's possible.

To order a personalised map, select "personalise your map" before adding it to your basket.

Get in touch if you're looking for more complex customisations and personalisations.

Map ageing

I have been asked hundreds of times over the years by customers if they could buy a map that looks even older.

Well, now you can, by selecting Aged before you add a map to your basket.

All the product photos you see on this page show the map in its Original form. This is what the map looks like today.

If you select Aged, I will age your map by hand, using a special and unique process developed through years of studying old maps, talking to researchers to understand the chemistry of aging paper, and of course... lots of practice!

If you're unsure, stick to the Original colour of the map. If you want something a bit darker and older looking, go for Aged.

See some amazing examples of Aged maps.

If you are not happy with your order for any reason, contact me and I'll get it fixed ASAP, free of charge. Please see my returns and refund policy for more information.

I am very confident you will like your restored map or art print. I have been doing this since 1984. I'm a 5-star Etsy seller. I have sold tens of thousands of maps and art prints and have over 5,000 real 5-star reviews. My work has been featured in interior design magazines, on the BBC, and on the walls of dozens of 5-star hotels.

I use a unique process to restore maps and artwork that is massively time consuming and labour intensive. Hunting down the original maps and illustrations can take months. I use state of the art and eye-wateringly expensive technology to scan and restore them. As a result, I guarantee my maps and art prints are a cut above the rest. I stand by my products and will always make sure you're 100% happy with what you receive.

Almost all of my maps and art prints look amazing at large sizes (200cm, 6.5ft+) and I can frame and deliver them to you as well, via special oversized courier. Contact me to discuss your specific needs.