The Lublin 1829 Map

The map used here is only a temporary one until I can obtain a better copy of the original. As this copy came out of a book some of the writing is difficult to make out, as well as being in Polish of course! Even so, there is a lot of information on the map even in its present state. If you are unfamiliar with the history of Lublin then it is recommended that the later maps are also studied, particularly the 1912 map (see either the link at the bottom of the page, or the link above to 'the MAPS site').

Lublin of 1829 is not that much different to the centuries before, of course new buildings will have replaced old but the pace of change had been relatively slow. The old town had slowly expanded and more and more churches and palaces had appeared over the preceding two centuries. Most of the major buildings shown on the map still exist today, although often greatly changed. What you see here is Lublin as it began its period of great change - the middle of the 19th century to the present. Interestingly, the cemetery on present day Lipowa Street (Smentarna) had already been created, but that other map landmark, the Saski park, is still a couple of years away.

Note that many of the spellings on the map are not current Polish. Despite the many boasts of defenders of the Polish education system, the 19th century saw many irregularities of the language as it appeared on maps. Language always changes and not everyone who uses it uses it in the same way as others. 'Smentarna' and 'Missyonarska' are some of the classics of the 19th century Lublinian map makers art, and together they help old Lublin come to life in a way that is real even if embarrassing to the pedantic purist.

The script on the map itself is interesting as this style remained popular until the middle of the 19th century, you can also follow this change in taste by observing that used for grave architecture. Here on this map it is cursive, but by the end of the century it had become heavy and plodding, the precursor of the simple text forms used on maps today.

Unlike maps from the first half of the 20th century, the map makers here still showed an interest in the geography of the landscape itself. The fields look almost like they contain crops and you can follow the flat bottom gullies in the north and west that are so characteristic of the Lublin Upland, as opposed to the flats of the Bystryzyca and Czerniowka river flood plain in the east and south. The old town itself sits on a headland, with sharp scarp faces falling away in the south and east towards the above rivers and also to the Czechowka in the north. To the west the slope is very gentle, and the ridgeline is traced by Krakowskie Przedmiescie and thence by Trakt Warszawski. However, standing out alone on the plain we can see the almost rectangular castle hill, and to the northeast lie the headland of Czwartek and the hill of the old Jewish cemetery. The success of Lublin's early history from unrecorded settlement to one of the early eastern border towns of the young Polish state is because of the easily defensible nature of its site, along with its position on several trade routes.

More information is available about Lublin through the links on 'the MAPS page', see link at the top of this page.

IMPORTANT NOTE:  It is worth reviewing the information on this page before you go to the maps themselves. This site is heavy on graphics, which will take time to load. Below is a map that indicate what maps sections have been preloaded, when the map is about half complete then it is worth going to the maps as you will not have to wait for too long to go from page to page. Another advantage of a review of this page is that it will make you more familiar with many of the terms you will find on the maps. Unless you are looking for something specific it is worth saving this page and printing it out so that you can easily refer to it as you find your way around the map. It is not possible to print the map out in any appreciable size. The first map to load will be the old town and part of Krakowskie Przedmiescie, which is almost the centre of the map below.