A fine and detailed plan of eighteenth century Berlin.

Berlin was made capital of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1701 and in 1709 the city was merged with the historic town of Cölln and the suburbs of Dorotheenstradt, Friedrichs-werder and Friedrichstadt to form the "Royal Capital and Residence City" of Frederick I. The King enlarged the army and made the city a major garrison, creating new squares and avenues to serve as military parade-grounds. The construction boom would be continued with great zeal by his successor Frederick II (Frederick the Great), who added an Opera House, several new palaces, and churches, many of which are illustrated in the 41 vignette views that surround the plan. By the end of Frederick's reign Berlin bore all the trappings of a major European capital, to rival London, Paris, and Amsterdam.

Johann David Schleuen (1711-1774) printmaker and publisher, worked together with his three sons Johann Georg (1737-1799), Johann Friedrich (1739-1784) and Johann Wilhelm (1748-1812); specialised in maps and topographical views.