The Erdapfel Globe (literally “Earth Apple” in German and sometimes called the Behaim Globe), is the world’s oldest surviving globe. Believed to have been created in 1492 by the 15th century German German mariner, artist, cosmographer, astronomer, philosopher, geographer and explorer Martin Behaim. It is not the first globe ever created but it is the oldest we currently know of still in existence. The globe is covered by painted parchment, on which beautiful little illustrative details were created by a team of painters and scribes. There are over 100 miniature objects and figures on the surface, such as flags, saints, kings on their thrones and animals such as elephants and camels. There are plenty of fantastic beasts too, such as a sea-serpent and a mermaid.
The globe was completed before Columbus returned from his explorations of the Americas, thus it was inaccurate and not given much credit. It has been in storage for centuries and forgotten until recently. It now belongs the the German National Museum who is trying to digitize it for a new generation of map lovers. [Source: AtlasObscura.com]