Exhibition Holland-Russia: Atlases and Maps opens in Saint Petersburg

The exhibition Holland-Russia: Atlases and Maps opened yesterday in Saint Petersburg as part of the festival Window on Holland.

The first Dutch atlases and maps were brought to Russia in the 16th century and Dutch cartographers were greatly admired by Peter the Great and his contemporaries.

A unique collection of Dutch atlases of the 16th and 17th centuries are now on display at the Russian National Library as well as Dutch maps of Russia. It was thanks to Dutch diplomats, merchants and travellers that Russia, a little-known country at the time, was first included in world atlases.