El present volum recull les conferències pronunciades per Wolfgang Scharfe, adscrit a la Freie Universität Berlin com a professor i com a membre del Institut für Geographische Wissenchaften i membre de diverses comissions; Ingrid Kretschmer, professora de cartografia del Departament de Geografia de la Universitat de Viena, membre de diverses comissions i vicepresidenta del Austrian Geographical  Society, i Hans-Uli Feldmann, cartògraf en cap de la Federal Office of Topography de Wabern, professor de cartografia al Technical College de Berna, redactor en cap de Cartographica Helvetica. Fachzeitschrift für Kartengeschichte i membre de la Swiss Society of Cartography, amb motiu de la celebració del sisè curs sobre història de la cartografia dedicat a La cartografia dels països de parla alemanya -Alemanya, Àustria i Suïssa-.

Els temes tractats són els següents:

• Approaches to the history of cartography in German-speaking countries.
• Cartography in German between the Renaissance and the 18th century. Regional development and atlas cartography.
• Surveys of German territories from the late 18th to the early 20th centuries.
• Thematic cartography and atlas cartography in German in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
• Map collections and map librarianship in Germany.

Per Wolfgang Scharfe.

• The development of Austrian cartography. Cartographic representation of Austrian territories.

Per Ingrid Kretschmer.

• Central European territories on medieval maps and charts.
• Cartography in Switzerland, 15th to 18th century.
• Official survey and first national map series of Switzerland, 19th century.
• Thematic mapping and the development of cartographic techniques in Switzerland.
• Map publishers, map collections and documentation, electronic information and map archives in Switzerland.

Per Hans-Uli Feldmann.