Poland

Eugeniusz Romer

This paper presents the work of Prof. Eugeniusz Romer titled 'Geographical-Statistical Atlas of Poland'. The atlas originated from the painful experience of national and political partition during a momentous period, aiming to trace remnants of former unity, understand the scope of diverse influences that acted upon the nation after partition, and demonstrate the strength and value Poland could represent if united. The atlas comprises 65 maps covering the entire historical territory of Poland, addressing physical, historical-political, demographic, religious, cultural, land ownership, agricultural, industrial, communication, and credit cooperative aspects. The author elaborates on significant difficulties encountered, particularly the lack of uniformity in statistical data due to Poland's partition among three empires, differing in methodology, scope, and chronology. To overcome these, innovative methods like graphical interpolation (termed 'isarithms') were introduced. The atlas serves as a crucial academic contribution and provides material for assessing war losses and studying the historical pathways of cultural and material influences across Polish lands.

St. Pawtowsk

This is an academic review of the 'Geographical-Statistical Atlas of Poland' (1916), edited by E. Romer. The author first notes the atlas's prominent position among wartime publications on Poland, with its core value lying in its anthropogeographic perspective, closely linking nature and culture, land and human activity. It successfully applies the isarithmic method, borrowed from climatology, to statistical data, freeing representations from administrative boundaries and reflecting geographical phenomena more truthfully. The atlas's content encompasses three main groups of maps: physical geography (hypsometry, geology, climate, vegetation), economic geography (land use, mining, industry, transport), and population and cultural geography (density, ethnicity, religion). The review particularly emphasizes that by covering Poland within its 1772 borders, the atlas powerfully argues for Poland's historical rights through scientific cartography, possessing both academic and civic merit.

Antoni Sujkowski

This article is a detailed review of the 'Geographic-Statistical Atlas of Poland', edited by Dr. Eugeniusz Romer, professor of geography at the University of Lviv, and published in 1916. The review begins by outlining the atlas's background: conceived before the war, following the author's return from Canada and Alaska, it was originally planned as a collaborative effort by numerous specialists. However, due to the outbreak of World War I, most of the work fell to Professor Romer himself, who ultimately completed it with the assistance of eight scholars, personally authoring 24 of the 32 maps. The reviewer highly praises the work, considering it a notable exception to the generally low quality of wartime academic output. The article then provides a detailed, map-by-map critique of the atlas, covering its hypsometric map, geological map, climatic maps, vegetation map, historical map, administrative division map, population density map, natural population increase map, and ethnographic map. For each, the reviewer describes its content, cartographic methods, and scientific value, while also offering critical observations on specific details and analyzing the correlations between geographical phenomena and human activities, such as the influence of physical geography on population distribution and the relationship between historical trade routes and ethnic boundaries. In the latter part of the article, the reviewer focuses on the cartographic methodology, particularly the author's use of interpolation in mapping economic and cultural phenomena. The reviewer argues that this method was both justified and necessary given the large administrative units, the lack of uniform and precise statistical data, and the small scale of the maps. It allowed for the presentation of general trends rather than potentially misleading local details. Finally, the reviewer connects Romer's approach to the intellectual traditions of Ratzel and Brunhes, concluding that the atlas successfully integrates geographical and historical-cultural factors, serving not only historical research but also providing contemporary Poles with a profound understanding of their country. The reviewer deems the atlas an essential work for every educated Pole, historian, teacher, and publicist.

Tadeusz Brzeski

This article is a methodological critique of Professor Romer's "Atlas of Poland", which gained wide popularity during the First World War. The author, Brzeski, argues that the Atlas has a dual character: as a public act, it successfully gave graphic expression to the idea of Polish national unity and raised the territorial, national, and socio-economic dimensions of the Polish question. However, as a scientific act, it is fundamentally flawed. The article's central thesis is that Professor Romer's view of history is an extreme form of geographical determinism, a "natural materialism" that attempts to explain historical and social phenomena as necessary consequences of the natural conditions of a territory. Brzeski contends that this methodological stance is an anachronism, ignoring historical contingency, institutional defects, and human agency. The article then delves into the statistical and cartographic methods used in the Atlas, pointing out methodological errors, such as using inappropriate bases of comparison (e.g., area of grain fields or total population) for representing crop cultivation and livestock numbers, which led to misleading conclusions. These errors, the author argues, stem from a preconceived interpretive framework that distorts the objective presentation of data. In conclusion, Brzeski states that the Atlas fails to provide an accurate and objective geographical-statistical picture of the Polish lands, with the root cause being the author's erroneous understanding of the relationship between geography and history. He advocates that geography, especially anthropogeography, should primarily focus on a scrupulous and comprehensive description of physiographic and human facts, refraining from causal explanations, which should be left to historical and social sciences. The article emphasizes that a proper understanding of the goals and cognitive limits of geographical research is the fundamental condition for resolving the geographical question of Poland.

Max Friederichsen

This article reviews Romer's 'Geographical-Statistical Atlas of Poland' (1916-1917). The atlas aims to depict the national, social, and economic conditions of Poland before WWI. Its definition of 'Poland' extends far beyond historical borders, sparking political controversy. The main maps use a uniform scale and are technically well-executed, accompanied by multilingual texts. The ethnographic maps using isarithmic methods and the agricultural-economic maps are of particular methodological value, though the political tendencies in the text require critical examination.

R. F. Keindl

This review examines the first two fascicles of Romer's Geographical-Statistical Atlas of Poland. The atlas covers the entire territory of the former Polish Kingdom and contains 32 maps addressing hypsometry, geology, climate, flora, history, administration, population density, ethnicity, religion, education, agriculture, industry, and transportation. The reviewer questions the inclusion of historical territories in a geographical-statistical work, and critically assesses the accuracy of the ethnographic maps: in Galicia, the apparent increase in Polish population is attributed to the reclassification of Jews as Poles; in Prussia, Romer's delineations are shown to be erroneous; and even official data prove unreliable, as entire German communities are labeled Polish. The significant growth of the Jewish population is noted as a potential challenge for Poland's future reorganization. The map on education is described as particularly striking, revealing that 25–75% of Poles and over 75% of Ruthenians are illiterate.

A. Gavazzi

This review discusses the second edition of the Geograficzno-statystyczny Atlas Polski (Geographic-Statistical Atlas of Poland), published in 1921. The first edition appeared in 1915, during wartime, when Poles already felt the need to present their country's geographical relations to Europe regardless of contemporary political borders. Now that their justified national goal—the unification of all Poles—has been achieved, the author publishes a second edition with no major changes except political boundaries; only two new maps (VII and IX) were added. The atlas contains, alongside a comprehensive 26-page introduction, 34 maps in format (without frame) 25.55×30 cm, produced by the renowned cartographic institute Freytag and Berndt in Vienna. The data underlying the maps originate from 1910, making future comparisons with 1920–21 data genuinely valuable. Besides maps on hypsometry, geology, climate, and vegetation (one each), the atlas presents history, administration (1914 and 1920), population density (using a new method!), and population growth. There are maps on the distribution of Poles, religious denominations, latifundia, land exploitation, distribution of individual cultivated plants and animals, useful minerals, industries, and industrial classes, among others. The reviewer cannot verify the accuracy of all results due to lack of local sources, but given Romer's reputation as a conscientious worker, he places full confidence in his corrections. Technically, the atlas is indeed beautifully executed (in various colors) and precise: colors always remain within the framework of black lines, deserving praise for the aforementioned cartographic institute. Thus, both in content and technique, the Atlas of Poland can be called a successful work. The preface (text) is published in Polish and French.

Edward Maliszewski

This article critically reviews several geographic-statistical works by Professor Eugeniusz Romer, including the second edition of the Geographic-Statistical Atlas of Poland and the census of the Eastern Territories. It argues that despite the immense effort involved, the works contain serious flaws in key maps depicting nationalities, land ownership, and transportation. The author contends that Romer's reliance on politically manipulated census data from the partitioning powers led to a significant underestimation of the Polish population in the eastern borderlands and Eastern Galicia. Furthermore, the article highlights numerous errors in toponymy, which were uncritically reproduced by the Polish Central Statistical Office. The author concludes that these errors undermine the scientific value of the works and risk misleading international opinion to the detriment of Poland's national interests.

Stanisław Pawłowski

This article comprises Polish-language academic book reviews of four significant publications. The first reviews a selection of Mieczysław Romanowski's poetry, including the verse tale 'Dziewczę z Sącza', praising the editorial quality and scholarly introduction while noting that the historical background focuses too narrowly on Galicia, inadequately addressing the uprising's roots in the Russian partition. The second reviews the second edition of Romer's 'Geographic-Statistical Atlas of Poland', highlighting two new maps—an administrative map of 1920 and an original ethnographic map of the Polish population—and the replacement of German text with English, which enhances its international reach; the reviewer emphasizes its considerable didactic value. The third reviews Sinko's school edition of Ovid's poetry with selections from Tibullus and Propertius, commending the scholarly apparatus and illustrations while regretting their limited number. The fourth reviews Morawski's translation of Sophocles' 'Electra', praising the introduction's insightful analysis, particularly the comparison between Electra and the biblical Judith regarding their shared passion for vengeance.

St. Pawtowski

This document comprises a brief note on intelligence testing of children in a model school using the Binet-Simon scale (29 children examined by January 1922), and a substantial review of the second edition of Eugeniusz Romer's *Atlas Polski* (Atlas of Poland). The reviewer praises the atlas as a monumental work integrating geography, statistics, and cartographic art. Its innovative method uses color to represent physical and human phenomena, achieving a synthetic picture of Poland's natural environment, population, economy, and culture. The atlas includes maps of topography, geology, climate, vegetation, historical/administrative divisions, demographic patterns, ethnic Polish settlements, religious structure, land ownership, agriculture, mining, industry, savings, and communications. It reveals important insights, such as the strength of Polish ethnicity in northeastern borderlands, the dominance of large estates, the high productivity of Prussian Poland due to advanced culture, and the deliberate neglect of transport infrastructure in former Kingdom of Poland. The review concludes that the atlas is an indispensable scientific and artistic achievement that corrects foreign misconceptions and supports Polish national claims. It is considered "probably the best key that has yet appeared to the understanding of the Polish problem" (Robert Lord).

St. Pawtowski

This is an academic review of the second edition of the Geograficzno-statystyczny Atlas Polski (Geographical-Statistical Atlas of Poland), published in 1921. The atlas covers the territory of Poland within its 1772 borders, employing the isarithmic method to systematically present demographic, economic, and social-geographic characteristics through 34 main maps, 41 supplementary maps, and various diagrams. The review notes that the atlas, due to its profound insights into the Polish question, was once banned by the Central Powers from crossing their frontiers and has been hailed as the best key to understanding the Polish problem. The second edition adds new maps of administration (1920) and Polish population distribution, and replaces German with English in explanatory texts to broaden its reach in the Anglo-American world. The reviewer praises the atlas for transcending traditional administrative-boundary-based statistics and regards it as an exemplary model of geography serving the clarification of complex political issues.

Stanisław Pietkiewicz

This article reviews the development of comprehensive regional atlases and provides a detailed assessment of major national atlases published in Europe during the first half of the 20th century. The author begins by noting that regional atlases serve not only as visual complements to statistical publications but also as scientific syntheses of knowledge about a country. Citing the 1910 and 1925 editions of the "Atlas de Finlande" as exemplary, the article traces the historical lineage of such publications, mentioning early examples from Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Russia. The core of the article focuses on five significant atlases published between the world wars: the "Atlas of Industry of the USSR," the "Atlas de France," the "Atlas of the Czechoslovak Republic," the "Atlas des deutschen Lebensraumes," and the "Atlante fisico-economico d'Italia." The "Atlas de France," coordinated by the French National Geographic Committee, was planned to include 84 large plates covering topography, climate, hydrology, biogeography, agriculture, mining, industry, transportation, population, and politics. Its innovative cartographic concepts, such as aridity index maps and morphological maps, reflect the advanced ideas of the French geographical school. The "Atlas of the Czechoslovak Republic," published by the Czech Academy of Sciences between 1930 and 1935, is praised for its aesthetic layout, rich colors, and print quality, comprising 55 large plates on physical geography, geology, climate, biology, population, economy, and history. The article also reviews the "Atlas of Ukraine and Adjoining Countries," edited by Kubijovych, which covers natural, demographic, economic, historical, and cultural topics, though some maps exhibit political bias. Additionally, the author briefly discusses two smaller atlases: the "Atlas of the Free City of Danzig," focusing on human geography, and "Poland and Its Economy," published by the Königsberg Institute, which, despite its modest appearance, offers substantial content. The article concludes by summarizing the cartographic methods, organizational structures, and scientific merits of these atlases, noting their respective strengths and weaknesses.

Ena L. Yonge

This article provides a comprehensive review of national atlases published worldwide up to the time of writing. It notes that since the Geographical Review first coined the term 'Age of National Atlases' in 1940, the surge of nationalism after World War II has greatly accelerated the production and scope of such atlases. The author surveys 26 published national atlases and 3 in preparation. The article first emphasizes that a national atlas aims to portray all aspects of a country—physical, economic, and social—and highlights a welcome trend: the inclusion of map titles, legends, and text summaries in English or French for atlases published in less familiar languages. The review is then organized by region. For Europe, it details atlases from Austria (Atlas von Niederösterreich), Belgium (Atlas de Belgique), France (revised Atlas de France), and Germany (Deutscher Planungsatlas, specifically Atlas von Berlin), among others, discussing their institutional backing, content structure, scales, cartographic techniques, and unique features, such as Berlin's depiction of wartime damage and postwar development, and Belgium's detailed demographic and agricultural maps. Atlases from Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Finland, Italy, and Norway are also mentioned. For Africa, the planned Atlas du Maroc is described. For Oceania, the Atlas of Australian Resources is reviewed, highlighting its origin in post-war resource assessment, its effective use of a large scale, and its focus on water resources and population distribution. For North America, the article reports on the progress of a Canadian national atlas and the initiation of the National Atlas of the United States, a collaborative federal effort to compile standardized thematic maps from various government agencies. The article concludes that these national atlases represent significant achievements in geographic and cartographic scholarship, serving as invaluable resources for students, planners, and businesses.

Adam Schmuck

This is an academic review of the third volume (Climate) of the Atlas of Poland, published in 1954. The author notes that while the atlas partially fills a gap in Polish climatological cartography, it does not fully meet practical needs. The atlas comprises six plates; the first two, scientifically compiled by E. Romer, employ his original dynamic method to depict pluviothermal characteristics of six seasons, precipitation patterns, and climatic gradients, offering a non-stereotypical alternative to static climatology. Subsequent plates present maps of air temperature, precipitation, atmospheric pressure, and typical synoptic situations for odd months. The reviewer praises the atlas's rich content and careful graphic execution but points out inconsistencies in map scales and advocates for a more comprehensive atlas addressing socio-economic demands.

E. Neef

This article is a collection of academic reviews of the Atlas Polski and several maps of Poland, Portugal, Norway, and Sweden. The author provides detailed commentary on the content and value of geological, Quaternary, and geomorphological maps in the Atlas Polski, highlighting their presentation of recent findings in Polish tectonics and Ice Age research, while suggesting improvements such as letter symbols and international language explanations for better usability. Additionally, the reviews cover the characteristics, technical specifications, and cartographic quality of Poland's 1:600,000 administrative map, 1:700,000 geological and soil maps, Portugal's 1:25,000 military maps, Norway's Svalbard 1:100,000 topographic maps, and Sweden's 1:50,000 topographic maps. Overall, these maps reflect the advances in European cartography during the 1950s and serve as valuable references for geographical research.

J. J. Klawe

This review examines the Atlas of Poland, a four-folder publication issued in 1956 by the Central Office of Geodesy and Cartography in Warsaw. The atlas project began in November 1945 but underwent numerous editorial changes, resulting in only partial completion of the original scheme. Despite the poor paper quality, the cartographic work is highly satisfactory, with each map independently prepared by subject specialists at scales of 1:2M or smaller. The first folder presents early maps of Poland, a general map, soil, drift geology, geomorphology, and gravitation; the second covers orography, drainage basins, geobotany, vegetation, and zoogeography; the third addresses various climatic aspects; and the fourth includes Poland's location relative to Europe and the world, solid/tertiary/quaternary geology, meadows and pastures, and a notable map depicting macro-seasons determined by plant blossoming times, such as the hazel marking pre-spring between February 25 and April 1. The review notes this is a temporary atlas, as a new comprehensive Atlas of Poland is being prepared by the Institute of Geography of the Polish Academy of Sciences, planned to feature 454 maps on 120 sheets in Polish, English, and Russian.

池田正友

This review introduces the geomorphological map of Poland (Mapa Geomorfologiczna Polski, scale 1:2,000,000), published as part of the Atlas Polski (1953–1956). Compiled in response to national land survey needs, the map classifies terrain into 27 genetic types under two broad categories: accumulation and erosion. It highlights the sequential influence of Scandinavian glaciations (Mindel, Riss, Würm) on Poland's landforms. The article also discusses the application of large-scale geomorphological maps (1:25,000 and 1:50,000) in regional planning, referencing methodological works by Klimaszewski, and underscores the utility of such maps for understanding land conditions and supporting economic development.

Jerzy Kondracki

This paper reviews the progress of the National Atlas of Poland and regional atlases. By the end of 1963, the Institute of Geography of the Polish Academy of Sciences had completed nine new plates for the physical geography section, covering Quaternary basement structure, hydrography, lakes, soils, snowfall, and temperatures, totaling 35 plates ready for reproduction. However, publication has been delayed, with the first plates unlikely to appear before 1965. The article also introduces two regional atlases: the Opole Voivodeship Atlas (16 plates on physical, demographic, and economic themes) and the Białystok Voivodeship Atlas (planned 78 plates, partly due by mid-1964). Finally, it mentions the second edition of the international bibliography of national and regional atlases prepared for the London Congress.

J. Rutkowski

This article reviews the history of Polish national atlases. Although geography and cartography developed rapidly after Poland's independence in 1918, the first national atlas in the strict sense was not published until 1973. The paper traces pioneering works from Romer's Geograficzno-Statystyczny Atlas Polski (1916) to the official statistical atlas of 1930 and the English-language Statistical Atlas of Poland published in London in 1942. Two attempts in the 1950s failed due to restricted access to data. Ultimately, the Narodowy Atlas Polski, led by the Institute of Geography of the Polish Academy of Sciences, was published in four installments between 1973 and 1978, comprising 127 plates, 634 maps, and 110 diagrams that comprehensively documented Poland's natural environment, population, economy, and socio-cultural conditions as of 1970. The atlas achieved remarkable public resonance with 46,000 subscriptions. Subsequently, due to political and economic transformations, work on a new Atlas Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej resumed in 1992.

Osowska Anna; Przybytek Dariusz

The Geograficzno-statystyczny atlas Polski (Geographical and Statistical Atlas of Poland), printed in Vienna in 1916, was elaborated due to remind the world about Poland and the Polish issue. At that time Poland had been partitioned for over 120 years and it was very important to provide comprehensive information about historical Polish territory and its inhabitants before the end of the ongoing war. It was a significant decision because the atlas appeared to be crucial to establishing borders of the Second Polish Republic at the Paris Peace Conference. In 2016 the hundredth anniversary of first edition of atlas is a great occasion for a historical and methodical brief outline.