Mercatormuseum, Cartography museum in Sint-Niklaas, Belgium.
The Mercatormuseum in Sint-Niklaas is a collection of maps, globes, and instruments that show how people represented the Earth over many centuries. The exhibits move from early methods through to the modern techniques used in mapping today.
Gerardus Mercator was born in Sint-Niklaas in 1512 and invented a new way to show the curved Earth on flat maps. This invention revolutionized ocean navigation and influenced all cartographers who came after him.
The museum bears the name of Gerardus Mercator, a cartographer who lived and worked in the town, shaping how people understood the world through maps. Walking through the rooms, you sense how his innovations influenced geographical thinking for centuries.
The museum has interactive screens and animations explaining how cartography developed and how it works. Visitors can explore firsthand how old and new mapping methods produced different results.
The museum holds two rare globes from the 16th century that represent masterpieces of Flemish cartography. These objects show how carefully craftspeople then depicted the world in fine detail on spherical surfaces.
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