An attractive bird’s eye view of Stade, Lower Saxony, Germany, just to the west of Hamburg. The ‘Civitates Orbis Terrarum’ was compiled by George Braun (1541-1622) the Canon of Cologne Cathedral. Braun produced a total of over 500 city views and maps published in six parts between 1572 and 1617. Most of the engraving was the work of Simon Novellanus and Frans Hogenberg (1535-1590), many after drawings by George Hoefnagel. This example was first published in the first edition of the rare fifth volume with Latin text issued in 1598. Koeman II B & H 5 no. 40.