Sebastian MÜNSTER was born in Ingelheim, near Mainz, on 20 January 1488 and died in Basel in May 1552.

He was a German cartographer, cosmographer, theologian and Hebrew scholar, and one of the most influential figures in the history of sixteenth-century European geography. Educated within the humanist intellectual world of the Renaissance, he became associated with the University of Basel, where he taught Hebrew and pursued studies in geography, mathematics, linguistics and biblical scholarship.

Münster is best known for his monumental *Cosmographia*, first published in Basel in 1544. This work was one of the earliest and most important German-language descriptions of the world, bringing together geography, history, ethnography, city views, maps and accounts of different peoples and places. Richly illustrated with woodcuts, it became one of the most widely read geographical works of the sixteenth century and was issued in many editions and translations.

Before the *Cosmographia*, Münster also edited and published an important edition of Ptolemy’s *Geographia* in 1540, supplementing the ancient geographical text with modern maps and commentary. Through these publications, he helped revive and expand geographical knowledge in Renaissance Europe, making maps and descriptions of the wider world accessible to a broad educated public.

His maps and city views are valued both for their historical importance and for their decorative quality. They reflect the Renaissance desire to understand, classify and visualise the world, combining scholarly learning with the craft of printing and illustration. Münster’s work influenced generations of mapmakers, publishers and readers, and his *Cosmographia* remained an important reference long after his death.

Sebastian Münster is remembered as one of the great cartographers and cosmographers of the Renaissance, whose publications played a central role in shaping the European image of the world in the sixteenth century.