Meeting announcements can be found at Cartography
- Calendar of Meetings and Events.
Click here
for archive of past exhibitions.
Indefinite – Ankara
The
Museum
of Cartography, one of the meritorious museums of Ankara, serves
under the Ministry of National Defense. Located in the Cebeci
District, it is classified as a kind of Military Museum and the
museum is located exactly inside the Central
Barracks. The Museum of Cartography invites visitors to explore
Türkiye’s rich cartographic heritage, showcasing
historical maps, measurement tools and rare artifacts that highlight
the nation’s mapping journey through centuries.
Indefinite
– Boston
Becoming
Boston: Eight Moments in the Geography of a Changing City can
be seen in the Norman B.
Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public
Library, 700 Boylston St. The exhibition follows the changing spatial
forms of the place we now call Boston. Maps trace out the complicated
history of places, and we can use them to document geography in much
the same way that we can use diaries and letters to document
biography. In the eight cases of this exhibition, we follow the
changing spatial forms of the place we now call Boston—from
before the landscape carried that name all the way through the
struggles, clashes, and dreams that continue to reshape the city
today.
Indefinite – Bucharest
The
Muzeul Național
al Hărților și Cărții Vechi [National Museum
of Old Maps and Books], str.Londra nr.39 sector 1, opened to the
public in 2003 and is hosted in a beautiful villa built in the
1920's. The main collection of over 1000 items belonged to Professor
Adrian Năstase’s family and was donated to the Romanian
state. Numerous maps are displayed on the walls of this three story
villa.
Indefinite – Edinburgh
Treasures
of the National Library of Scotland
is a permanent exhibition of 13th- to 18th-century objects in the
library's collection which can be seen in George IV Bridge building.
Included are some of the first detailed maps of Scotland created by
Timothy Pont more than 400 years ago. The maps chart the geography of
16th-Century Scotland including details of tower houses and castles,
smaller buildings and settlements, mills and rivers and the extent of
woodland and physical features such as rivers and valleys and
mountain tops. They also mention landowners and other people.
Indefinite - Jacksonville, Florida
The Lewis
Ansbacher Map Collection contains some 244 antiquarian maps
of Florida and Florida cities, North and South America, and the
world. It includes historical views and plates focusing on northern
Florida. Most of these maps are on permanent display in the Morris
Ansbacher Map Room on the fourth floor of the Main
Library, 303 N. Laura Street. Additional information
813-228-0097.
Indefinite - Kitakyushu,
Japan
The Zenrin
Museum showcases Western and Japanese maps of Japan made between
the 16th and 20th centuries, along with their history. The permanent
exhibition focuses on Japan in the World; The Appearance of Ino Maps;
and Modern Japan, and Social change and the evolution of maps. In
addition to the permanent exhibition, the museum has a multipurpose
exhibition room. Museum is located on the 14th floor of Riverwalk
Kitakyushu, 1 Chome-1-1 Muromachi, Kokurakita Ward.
Indefinite - Kozani, Greece
Kozani
in the World of Maps is on display at the Municipal
Map Library housed in the recently restored Georgios
Lassanis Mansion at the center of the city. The historic Map
Library, with its roots in 17th century, keeps a small but important
collection of maps, atlases and geography books, mainly from 18th
century, referred to the period of Greek Enlightenment. For example,
a copy of the 1797 Rigas Velestinlis "Charta" as well as
the extremely rare 1800 Anthimos Gazis world map are kept there among
other maps and atlases which were never before put on public display.
Contact info(at)kozlib.gr or 2461 50635 / 2461 50632 for additional
information.
Indefinite - Kynceľová,
Slovakia
The Slovak Map
Museum, Kynceľová 77, presents you not only the rich
past and exceptional present of cartography in Slovakia, but also the
traditional and modern methods and technologies that create maps. Its
uniqueness lies not only in the content of its exhibition, but also
in its form. It was based on the principles of the global trend of
enriching experiences for visitors through interactivity, advances in
high technology and modern principles of education. What would a
museum be like without the history of cartography and old maps? We
will look at the development of maps in the world, but of course also
in Slovakia. You will also find some truly unique maps here.
Indefinite - Lake Geneva,
Wisconsin
What is believed to be an original map of Lake
Geneva — found recently inside a historic lakefront mansion —
now offers the public a rare glimpse of the city in its earliest
origins. The map from the early 1840s is part of Geneva
Lake Museum’s new exhibit Mapping
the Past. The exhibit features about 30 maps of Lake Geneva
and the surrounding area, including the original map showing Lake
Geneva’s layout just after pioneers incorporated the new
municipality in 1836. The majority of the maps in the exhibit have
been donated by Edward Weed of the town of Linn.
Indefinite – La Rochelle, France
The Musée
du Nouveau Monde [Museum of the New World], 10 Rue Fleuriau, is
housed in an eighteenth century mansion, the hotel Fleuriau, named
after the family who lived there from 1772 to 1974. The Museum
features numerous old maps of the Americas as well as sculptures,
paintings, drawings, furniture and decorative objects. These objects
are evidence of the triangular trade and slavery with the Americas,
through which the city of La Rochelle, like others, amassed
considerable wealth. Part of the museum is devoted to the French
conquest of the New World, especially in Canada, while evoking the
Old West and Native Americans.
Indefinite – Mexico City
Museo
Nacional de la Cartografia, at Avenida Observatorio No. 94,
corner of Periférico Tacubaya, D.F., C.P. 11870, Delegación
Miguel Hidalgo, features exhibits about the general history of
mapping of Mexico. Codices, atlases, navigational charts, topographic
plans, and instruments used to make geodesic and topographical
measurements are on display.
Indefinite - Mussoorie, India
The
newly inaugurated George
Everest Cartography Museum, located in the George
Everest House which was owned by Everest from 1832 to 1843, is a
one-of-a-kind institution dedicated to preserving the rich history of
cartography, surveying, and mountaineering. The museum boasts an
impressive collection of exhibits showcasing the Great Trigonometric
Arc Survey initiated by Everest himself. Visitors can also explore
the extensive survey records of various Himalayan peaks undertaken by
Indian mountaineers. The museum is not only a treasure trove of
historical documents but also an educational resource. Information
about the diverse instruments used in these groundbreaking surveys is
thoughtfully presented, allowing visitors to delve into the methods
employed by these pioneers.
Indefinite - Palma, Mallorca
Bartolomé March
Servera (1917-1998) became an important art collector and
bibliophile. The Fundación
Bartolomé March established a museum, where the family
residence in Palma was located for decades, to display his
collection. The Palau March, located at Carrer del Palau Reial, 18,
displays an outstanding collection of art and sculpture. Another of
the numerous collections that Bartolomé March brought together
was that of Majorcan Cartography. In Mallorca, between the
14th and 15th Century, an important set of navigation charts signed
by local artists was drawn up. The great majority of these charts
left the island and the most famous of them ended up in public
libraries or in private hands. Bringing together this collection,
considered to be one of the best in the world, was an arduous task.
The exhibit displayed here, with excellent documentation, brings
together a very interesting collection both for its technical
perfection and its exquisite ornamental effect. Included are Portolan
charts by Jacobus Russus (1535), Mateo Prunés (1561), Jaume
Olives (1564 and 1571), Joan Oliva (1620), and Miquel Prunés
(1640).
Indefinite - Sint-Niklaas, Belgium
The Mercator
Museum, Zwijgershoek 14, reopens on December 13, 2025 in a larger
and up-to-date new Museum. The Museum will display a chronological
story of cartography, from ancient times to today. In this story, the
figure and work of Gerard De Cremer (Rupelmonde 1512 - 1594 Duisburg)
- aka Gerard Mercator - is placed in the spotlight. His rare earth
globe (1541) and celestial globe (1551), recently included in the
Flemish masterpieces list, remain the highlights of the museum. The
rich collection of atlases, including his first Ptolemy edition 1584,
shines in the showcases. The story is complemented by a carefully
chosen selection of maps and atlases from the 17th to the early 20th
century.
Indefinite - Suwon, South
Korea
The National
Map Museum of Korea is located in the National
Geographic Information Institute (NGII). Four exhibition rooms
are designed to help visitors understand the development of maps in
Korea and the world through various types of maps including
Daedongyeojido of Kim Jeongho, and modern maps made by NGII. Models
of surveying instruments are displayed.
Indefinite –
Sydney
Visitors to the State
Library of New South Wales can explore five centuries of
cartography from around the world in one place in the Map
Rooms. Across two beautiful rooms visitors will find some of the
most important maps, globes and navigation instruments from the
Library's maps collection - arguably the most significant in
Australia. One of the major highlights is a chart of the
Indian Ocean and Asia — one of only four copies in the world —
printed on vellum by Jacob Colom in 1633. Other highlights
include: an extremely rare 1515 map by Albrecht Dürer and
Johannes Stabius depicting the world as a sphere; a beautiful
hand-coloured copy of the iconic nineteen counties (the legal
boundaries of the colony up to that date) map produced by Sir Thomas
Mitchell in 1834; the 1940 Tindale map showing the distribution
of Aboriginal nations in NSW; and a selection of
rare early maps showing the gradual colonisation and expansion of
Sydney from a penal settlement to a bustling metropolis. The Map
Rooms are located on the first floor of the Mitchell Building, 1
Shakespeare Place, open every day.
Indefinite - Tampa, Florida
The
Touchton
Map Library and Florida Center for Cartographic Education, at The
Tampa Bay History Center, 801 Old Water Street, is home to more
than 8,000 maps, charts and other documents dating back from the
early European exploration of North America more than 500 years ago
up through the early 21st century. A rotating exhibition of selected
maps from the collection can be viewed in the Saunders Foundation
Gallery.
Indefinite - Vienna
The Globe
Museum of the Austrian National Library, Palais Mollard,
Herrengasse 9, is the world's only institution devoted to the study
of globes and related instruments like armillary spheres and
planetariums. On display in eight rooms are many of the more than 460
globes owned by the Museum. Additionally there is a bilingual (German
and English) multimedia presentation about globe history, globe
making, and the use of globes. Additional information from
globen(at)onb.ac.at or Tel.: (+43 1) 534 10-710 or Fax: (+43 1) 534
10-319.
Indefinite – Washington
In 2011, Albert H. Small
donated to George Washington
University Museum, 701 21st Street NW, his unrivaled collection
of 1,000 maps and prints, rare letters, photographs, and drawings
that document the history of Washington, DC. A
Collector’s Vision: Creating the Albert H. Small Washingtoniana
Collection presents highlights of the Albert H. Small
Washingtoniana Collection, including Mr. Small's first acquisition
and other items that explore what motivates individuals to collect.
June 14, 2024 – February
28, 2026 – Washington
The
new Library of Congress exhibition Collecting
Memories: Treasures from the Library of Congress, which is
part of the David
M. Rubenstein Treasures Gallery on the on the second-floor
mezzanine of the Thomas Jefferson Building, is open to the public.
Over 100 objects in many formats from divisions all over the Library
of Congress are integrated and featured in this exhibition. Some fine
cartographic treasures are displayed as mementos of how different
cultures saw the world at different points in time.
June 29, 2024 - June 26, 2026 -
Cambridge Massachusetts
The idea of sea monsters has
captivated us for centuries. Could there really be something scary
lurking in the dark depths? Folklore and popular culture say yes, yet
science urges us to dive a little deeper. Sea
Monsters: Wonders of Nature and Imagination is a new
exhibition at the Harvard
Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford Street. The exhibition
features historical illustrations of these fabled monsters and
detailed ancient mariners’ maps. Ancient maps held important
cultural knowledge, often revealed through depictions of mythological
creatures that served as warnings of dangerous and uncharted waters.
April 3, 2025 - March 2026 –
Boston
The Leventhal
Map & Education Center will mark the 250th anniversary of the
start of the Revolutionary War with a new exhibition, Terrains
of Independence, in our gallery at the Central Library in
Copley Square. Terrains of Independence poses a central
geographical question: what was it about Boston and Massachusetts in
the last half of the eighteenth century that made the region such a
tinderbox for Revolutionary activity?
April 24, 2025 – March 29,
2026 - New York
How do maps contribute to a sense of national
and cultural identity? During the first decades of the nineteenth
century, China was in a moment of transition, grappling with its
geopolitical status as both an ancient and modern nation-state. It
was in this moment that two series of large-format maps, one
terrestrial and one celestial, were printed in the city of Suzhou.
Heaven
& Earth: The Blue Maps of China captured Chinese ideas
about the relationship between terrestrial and celestial space, and
provide insight today into how Chinese scholars and artists
conceptualized the world around them. This exhibition considers these
two blue maps in the context of their production, consumption, and
functionality, revealing them as unique objects in the global history
of mapmaking. Exhibition can be seen at the Museum
of Chinese in America, 215 Centre Street.
June 20, 2025 – Indefinite
– Amsterdam
Sea charts are crucial on board ships. But
how and why did the sea chart come into being? The cartography
exhibition Charting
the Sea, in The
National Maritime Museum, explores the history of sea charts
together with maritime atlases and survey instruments.
July 18, 2025 - August 2, 2026 –
Denver
In 1776 two Franciscan priests named Domínguez
and Escalante set out from Santa Fe into territory unknown, lands
claimed by Spain but controlled by the Tribes who called it home.
With Indigenous guides and the help of Native tribes, the Padres and
their party of twelve navigated harsh terrain, mapped vital trade
routes, and documented Native cultures that had thrived in the region
for centuries before Europeans arrived. History
Colorado Center, 1200 Broadway, arranged an exhibition Expedition
1776: The Journey of Domínguez & Escalante. A
specially assembled collection of rare archival maps will trace
Spain’s growing knowledge of the West before the journey and
how the Domínguez and Escalante expedition’s
cartographic contributions continued to shape maps of the region well
into the American settlement period.
September 8, 2025 – June
13, 2026 - Portland, Maine
For America's sesquicentennial
(250th anniversary), the Osher Map
Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education at the
University of Southern Maine has organized a year-long exhibition
Founding Memories: America at 250 that highlights how the
iconography of the American Revolution has been incorporated onto a
wide variety of maps and cartographic materials from the 1770s to the
1970s.
March 7, 2026 - Summer 2026 -
Cobden, Illinois
The Union
County Museum, 117 S. Appleknocker, will feature a new display on
a map collection put together from various sources. The collection
shows the development of the North American continent with English
land grants beginning in 1606, the establishment of the 13 original
colonies, the addition of the western lands and the coming of the
railroads. Illinois and Southern Illinois make up the largest part of
the collection. The Union County Museum is open Saturday and Sunday
from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. and admission is free.
March 24, 2026 - 19 July 19, 2026
– Paris
The exhibition Cartes imaginaires, imaginaire
des cartes <Maps of the Imagination, Imagination of Maps> can
be seen at the François-Mitterrand
site of the BnF.