In the State Archive in Gdańsk there is over 18,800 plans and maps dating from 1520 to the present. The integral part of the collection are maps used for navigation because of the dynamic changes of the coastline at the otulet of the Vistula River.
There are three large collections in the holdings of the State Archive in Gdańsk: the Collection of the Gdańsk Plans and Maps (APG 300, MP), Elblag Town Map Collection (APG 1151), Pomeranian Maps and Plans Collection (APG 1126).
The collections are accompanied by administrative records of the Regierung Danzig and Royal-Prussian Fortifications of the City of Gdańsk. They contain records of the construction of Gdańsk fortifications in XVII century, hydrotechnical constructions in Żuławy Wislane from XVI to XX centuries as well as the entrance to the Gdańsk harbor. The maps and documents show the history of the urban development of Gdańsk, Elblag, Gdynia and smaller towns of Gdańsk Pomerania.
The unquestionably most precious handmade maritime map is the map of the Gdańsk Bay made by Walter Clemens in 1596.