Imagining Wallachia: Ruhedorf’s cartographic vision in the eighteenth century

This article proposes a detailed cartographic analysis of the map of Wallachia (Romania) published in 1788 by Ferdinand Joseph Ruhedorf, a cartographic product that has been relatively little discussed in the specialised literature, despite the wide circulation it appears to have enjoyed. Based on systematic georeferencing, cartometric analyses, and the construction of a geospatial database, the study evaluates the map's accuracy, internal geometry, and informational content. The results show that the map was compiled from heterogeneous Austrian sources and constructed without a mathematical projection or coordinate system, relying instead on an empirical planimetric geometry. A detailed analysis of the settlement network, roads, bridges, and natural resources highlights the functional structure of the territory end the close relationship between relief, mobility, and economic organisation at the end of the eighteenth century. The study reconstructs the cartographic lineage of the map and highlights its influence on subsequent Balkan cartography, demonstrating the potential of modern geospatial approaches in the re-evaluation of historical cartographic sources.