This study investigates maps and town-views of two port towns, Stockholm and Ottoman Thessaloniki, in the sixteenth, seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. These four centuries of early modern era are very important for the history of these ports and the historical changes made in this period affected the cartographic image of both cities.   The first major aim of this thesis is to examine the maps and town-views as sources for how these two cities were viewed spatially and schematically in the past. The second aim of the thesis is to explore the evolution of these two cities, using the comparative dimension to highlight both similarities and unique features, and again relying on maps and town-views as the major source. The fact that both cities were ports with important roles in early modern empires (the Swedish Empire and the Ottoman Empire respectively), means they offer much scope for comparison.   Defense, religious and financial use of places and buildings and the presence of minorities in streets and neighborhoods will get special attention at several points in this thesis.