<p>Sweden has a long tradition as a mapmaking nation. Tens of thousands of historical maps,dating from the sixteenth century and onwards are still preserved in archives today, providinga rich resource for studies of city growth and changes in the landscape through time. For morethan ten years an effort has been made by public authorities to transfer this material frompaper onto digital media. Due to modern technology, as for example GeographicalInformation Systems (GIS), researchers have been given improved possibilities to study andanalyze this material. This study uses a qualitative approach, based on both literature studiesas well as map studies. It focuses on the usage of historical maps as well as the problems andpossibilities they provide, both generally in their original form and more specifically in theirdigital form. As an example on how to use historical maps in the analysis of a specific area,four maps of the town of Kalmar have been processed in GIS software to obtain an overallview of the geographical changes the town centre has undergone during a historical periodfrom around 1650 up to 1936. The conducted study has shown that although the accuracy ofhistorical maps is not up to par with modern ones, they provide a useful base in the studies oftown development. If the map studies are supported by examinations of historical literature avery good overview of either a long term development or a more detailed understanding of ashorter time period is obtainable. This study provides an introduction to the usage of historicalmaps in modern landscape studies and an example on what they can be used for.</p>

Sweden has a long tradition as a mapmaking nation. Tens of thousands of historical maps,dating from the sixteenth century and onwards are still preserved in archives today, providinga rich resource for studies of city growth and changes in the landscape through time. For morethan ten years an effort has been made by public authorities to transfer this material frompaper onto digital media. Due to modern technology, as for example GeographicalInformation Systems (GIS), researchers have been given improved possibilities to study andanalyze this material. This study uses a qualitative approach, based on both literature studiesas well as map studies. It focuses on the usage of historical maps as well as the problems andpossibilities they provide, both generally in their original form and more specifically in theirdigital form. As an example on how to use historical maps in the analysis of a specific area,four maps of the town of Kalmar have been processed in GIS software to obtain an overallview of the geographical changes the town centre has undergone during a historical periodfrom around 1650 up to 1936. The conducted study has shown that although the accuracy ofhistorical maps is not up to par with modern ones, they provide a useful base in the studies oftown development. If the map studies are supported by examinations of historical literature avery good overview of either a long term development or a more detailed understanding of ashorter time period is obtainable. This study provides an introduction to the usage of historicalmaps in modern landscape studies and an example on what they can be used for.