Oceny i sprawozdania. Geograficzno-statystyczny atlas Polski

Summary

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.