Historical Map of the Month: January 01.01.2025 - The selected map from the archive takes us back to 1908 and shows a detailed overview of the ecclesiastical dioceses in the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy.

In January, the Federal Office of Metrology and Surveying - BEV presents a church map of Austria-Hungary from 1908. This map, designed by Prof. Dr. Cölestin Wolfsgruber and published by the k. u. k. Militärgeographische Institut, illustrates the territorial division of the Catholic Church in the Dual Monarchy and reflects the close connection between state and church in the Habsburg Empire.

The individual dioceses and archbishoprics are shown in color and precisely explained by numbering and a corresponding legend. In addition to the ecclesiastical boundaries, the political boundaries of the crown lands of the time, such as Bohemia, Galicia, Hungary and Croatia, are also shown. Rivers such as the Danube and the Sava serve as geographical landmarks.

The Catholic Church as a unifying element in the Habsburg Empire

The map shows how closely church and state worked together in the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. The Catholic Church was an important institution that played a major role not only in faith, but also in social and political life. It was instrumental in education, social support and even some laws. Despite the many different cultures and languages in the empire, the organization of the church remained surprisingly uniform. This makes this map an exciting piece of history.

Title: Church Map of Austria-Hungary
Publisher: k. u. k. Militärgeographische Institut
Author: Prof. Dr. Cölestin Wolfsgruber
Scale: 1:3 500 000
Publication: 1908
Format: 411 x 349 mm

The former historical maps of the month can be viewed in our online archive.