National Atlas of Poland

Zur Geschichte der Nationalatlanten Polens

J. Rutkowski · 1996

This paper offers a historical review of Polish national atlases against the background of the latest project, the Atlas Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej. It traces the development from early precursors such as Romer's geographical-statistical atlas (1916), through interwar statistical atlases, to later attempts that failed or were interrupted by censorship and data-access restrictions. The successful National Atlas of Poland, published in 1973–1978, was a comprehensive cartographic monograph comprising 127 plates, 634 maps, and 110 diagrams, and attracted broad public interest (46,000 subscriptions). Political and socioeconomic changes after 1989 eventually led to a new national atlas project, which is now about half completed. The account shows how national atlases both reflect and depend on political and institutional conditions.