UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register

The uniqueness of Van der Hem’s Atlas arises from the rarity and originality of the supplementary material and from the skilful and aesthetically pleasing manner in which the additions are combined with the more standard features. The Atlas Blaeu-Van der Hem of the Austrian National Library is the only collection in its kind that has survived intact from the seventeenth century and has immense historical, topographical and artistic value.
As of March 2004, the Atlas was included in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register. (UNESCO launched the Memory of the World programme in 1992. It aims to prevent the neglect and loss of our cultural heritage, to encourage the preservation of valuable archives and libraries, and, to ensure widespread access in the future).