Heinrich Zell

Heinrich cell was originally cartographer, astronomer and then from 1555 to 1564 Librarian of the Duchy of Prussia in Königsberg Castle library.

Life and work

As a student of Sebastian Münster, nephew of the Strasbourg theologian couple Matthew Zell and Katharina Schütz Zell and relative of the Nuremberg cartographer and woodcarver Christoph cell he came in 1539 with Rheticus for female castle to Nicholas Copernicus and supported this in the editing of Narratio Prima, which took place in Gdansk.

Since 1533 he had already created a map of Europe, he created a map of Prussia in 1542, which built on the work done by Alexander Scultetus, Copernicus and Rheticus and was released by Munster, Abraham Ortelius and Caspar contactor. With A NEUWE and eygentlich description of the Germans country followed in 1560 a map of Germany in four woodcuts.

According to the Copernicus Biography of Pierre Gassendi in 1654 he had knowledge of his major work De revolutionibus in 1543 publish Orbium Coelestium and was an early supporter of his worldview.