It has been a while, but I finally had the opportunity to visit a new and special museum in my hometown of Sint Niklaas. MAP – Mercator is a museum dedicated to the legacy of Gerardus Mercator (1512–1594) and to the cultural and intellectual significance of cartography. As part of MAP Musea aan het Park, the museum approaches maps not only as scientific instruments, but as cultural artefacts that have shaped how societies understand, organise, and represent the world.
The name MAP refers explicitly to maps and to the act of mapping itself. This conceptual framework underpins the museum’s approach. Rather than focusing solely on Mercator as a historical figure, MAP – Mercator situates his work within broader questions of orientation, worldview, power, and knowledge production, connecting early modern cartography with enduring themes in spatial thinking.
MAP – Mercator presents Gerardus Mercator as a Renaissance humanist, cosmographer, engraver, and scholar, active within international intellectual networks of the sixteenth century. While his name is most commonly associated with the Mercator projection, the museum deliberately broadens this narrative by highlighting his philosophical interests, theological engagement, and scientific context, offering a more comprehensive understanding of his intellectual legacy.
The permanent presentation combines historical material with contemporary interpretation methods. Maps and atlases are shown alongside prints, instruments, digital cartographic applications, and audiovisual elements. The exhibition is structured thematically rather than chronologically, allowing visitors to engage with concepts such as scale, abstraction, projection, and spatial perception in an accessible yet intellectually grounded manner.
From a personal perspective, what makes MAP – Mercator particularly memorable is the way cartography is experienced rather than merely observed. The immersive 3D balloon flight offers a compelling sense of spatial awareness and discovery, while the presentation of the Flemish Top Pieces, notably the Heaven and Earth globes, forms a powerful focal point within the museum. Especially striking is the collection of globes, which illustrates the different ways globes were produced, constructed, and conceptualised over time, revealing the craftsmanship and technical ingenuity behind these objects. I am very proud that people from all over the world can visit this remarkable museum dedicated to cartography, a discipline that continues to shape how we understand and visualise our place in the world.
* * *
Kathleen Van Lierop (born in 1979) is married and lives in Belgium. She is an avid traveler and a real museum lover. She likes books / (royal) history, culture and tourism. She has two blogs: https://allaboutroyalfamilies.blogspot.com/ and My Crazy Life Full With Books