Sebastian Münster

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Sebastian Münster was an extraordinary German cosmographer, humanist, theologian, and University professor.

In 1506, he became a Franciscan friar, however by 1529 he had left the church to take up a position at the University of Basel. This is where Münster indulged in his great love of cosmography.

He produced a 1540 edition of Claudius Ptolemy’s ‘Geographia’. In 1544, Münster published his greatest work, the ‘Cosmographia’, a text which aimed to describe the world. Books were dedicated to the description and mapping of different regions of the globe. It was the culmination of a lifetime’s study, gathered over 30 years. The ‘Cosmographia’ proved to be exceedingly popular and revived German interest in cosmography, with 40 editions being published between 1544 and 1628.

Colourful side profile portrait of Sebastian Münster