In the period between the 'Confessional eras' (16481800), two very different confessional cultures developed in the territories of the Holy Roman Empire. An analysis of travelers' reports from the Middle Rhine Valley offers insight into the contrasting patterns of observation and evaluation that were characteristic of these two cultures, and illuminates associated processes of self-affirmation and representation.

Christoph Nebgen, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Mainz