The Saxon Academy of Sciences in Leipzig took over the project initiated by the Saxon Commission for History in 1896 with the establishment of a office site in 1992. The "Atlas zur Geschichte und Landeskunde von Sachsen" is being produced in cooperation between the Academy, the Saxony State Surveying Office and the Dresden University of Applied Sciences (FH).
The atlas will be designed in terms of content and edited by an editorial commission consisting of historians, cartographers and geographers. Cartographic editing is coordinated by the Landesvermessungsamt of Saxony in Dresden. Valuable editorial and cartographic contributions (student work) are produced at the Dresden University of Applied Sciences.
The atlas consists of the following 8 subject areas: "State nature", "Settlement and population", "Territorial development", "Wars and social movements, military affairs", "Church and denominations", "Economy (agriculture, mining, trade, transport)", "Culture (language, education, architecture)" and "Historical maps".
The „Atlasplan" contains about 130 proposed map topics, of which about 80 to 100 are being worked on. Almost every map sheet is accompanied by a supplement of varying length, which explains the subject matter and provides cartographical interpretation, and includes a detailed and comprehensive bibliography.
The maps are mainly on a scale of 1:400,000, a few on 1:200,000 (partial sheets), maps of the former Electorate of Saxony on a scale of 1:650,000. The multi-coloured map sheets are supplied in the format 50 cm by 63 cm unfolded and, just like the supplements, they can be kept in a special linen-covered cassette with gold embossing and the index. The atlas is distributed exclusively by the Landesvermessungsamt Sachsen in Dresden.