During this project the 3D modelling techniques were used to reconstruct two historical globes. A large number of images were used for the digital representation of two 16th century globes, made by Gerardus Mercator. The reconstruction project is a great challenge, since the modelling of small XI spheres is not a common application, where both the precision and the quality of the texture mapping have to be high. If the texture maps of these models correspond with the real appearance of the globes, it is possible to perform historical and cartographic research on these objects without actually possessing the globes. This significantly increases the scientific range of this patrimony. A feasibility study is performed for the 3D reconstruction, using different image based techniques and laser scanning. Moreover, virtual globes can easily be distributed over the internet, increasing the scope of this patrimony.