Radziwiłł's map of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania – MALDZIS VIP

Radziwill Map of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, 1613
The "Maldzis" Copy

Second print run of the VIP version of the Radziwill Map (giclée copy), numbered 1 to 100. Gift tube, wooden pendant.

Before you is a copy of the map acquired by the MALDZIS initiative in December 2024 with funds from Belarusian donors: Siarhei Kazlouski, Ani Buhlakova,
Uladzimir Harlach, and Dzmitry Padalinski.
The map covers the territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania within its borders prior to the Union of Lublin in 1569 and partially the lands of neighboring countries. The initiator of its creation and patron was Prince Mikołaj Krzysztof Radziwiłł "the Orphan," and as a result, the map became known in history by his surname. The author of the map's sketch is the Nesvizh engraver Tomasz Makowski.
The Radziwill Map was widely known in Europe and remains a valuable historical source to this day. It indicates over 1000 settlements, of which more than 300 are in the territory of modern Belarus.
The original prototype of the Radziwill Map was created in Nesvizh around 1603 but has not survived to our time. The map gained wide recognition thanks to the 1613 edition, executed by the Dutch engraver Hessel Gerritsz in Amsterdam for Willem Janszoon Blaeu's cartographic workshop.
From 1631, the Radziwill Map was included in Blaeu's atlas "Appendix Theatri A. Ortelii et Atlantis." The "Maldzis" copy is one of the first atlas editions of the map.
The original map was made using the technique of colored copper engraving, glued from four parts, with a map size of 74 × 75 cm. The scale is approximately 1:1,300,000.
On the reverse side of the "Maldzis" copy are atlas pages with Latin text titled "Descriptio Lithuaniae" ("Description of Lithuania"). This is a geographical and historical-cultural description of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
About MALDZIS The initiative was named in honor of Adam Maldzis, who sought out and brought back from oblivion lost Belarusian treasures and names. MALDZIS continues this work and sees its mission in strengthening the image of Belarus as a European nation and uniting Belarusians around national identity.