Large-scale maps were created for the first time in the 18th century, but their everyday use was restricted to military people only. Topographic maps became increasingly important in the 20th century to support the management of a country. The development of topographic maps was influenced by historical events (wars), industrial needs, infrastructure investments and space research.

Although the topographic maps are well-known cartographic products, this paper will focus on a special type of maps used for field navigation: the orienteering maps.

At the end of the 19th century, all the requisites (including unclassified topographic maps, at least in some countries) for orienteering as a sport were present. The development of orienteering maps clearly represents the process of the integration of cartography in every day life. This paper presents the most important milestones of this development in the 20th century for both topographic and orienteering maps.