Czechoslovakia

R. Turćin

This article introduces the Atlas of the Czechoslovak Republic, published in 1931 by the Czech Academy of Sciences and Arts with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Edited by Prof. J. Pantoflíček and a board of experts, the atlas comprises 54 sheets containing 442 maps, covering physical geography, demography, agriculture, industry, transport, trade, and education. Printed by the Military Geographical Institute in Prague at various scales, it is supplemented by a geographic-statistical encyclopedia of about 280 pages. The article details the contents of individual sheets, including hypsometric, geological, climatic, soil, crop, livestock, and foreign trade maps, highlighting the atlas's significance as a comprehensive source for geographical, economic, and sociological study, surpassing previous works in scope and quality and representing a major achievement of Czechoslovak science.

V. Svambera

This article presents the compilation of the Atlas of the Czechoslovak Republic. Following the Great War, the newly established state felt a pressing need for an atlas that graphically represented its conditions. Several experts collaborated to outline a program, initially comprising seventy sheets of 45 x 87 cm, later reduced to fifty-four due to financial constraints. The Atlas resulted from collaboration among the Faculty of Sciences, the Polytechnic School, and several central state institutes. It depicts Czechoslovakia from geographical, climatological, demographic perspectives, covering soil production, industry, commerce, transport, and cultural conditions, with over four hundred maps on fifty-four sheets at scales of 1:1,250,000 and 1:5,000,000. Considerable difficulties had to be overcome, as the country united territories formerly under two different administrations, regional divisions, and official statistics. The work was to be published by Orbis under the auspices of the Czech Academy of Sciences, with reproduction by the Army Geographic Service. Publication was scheduled to begin in fascicles in October 1931, with completion by late 1932, at a sale price of about 600 francs. Mr. Salamon noted that the Atlas frequently employed graphic statistical methods to achieve true geographical characteristics, with Professor Laska of Charles University contributing many novel ideas.

V. Svambera

This paper presents the compilation process and outcomes of the Atlas of the Czechoslovak Republic. Directed by Professor V. Svambera of Prague under the auspices of the Czech Academy of Sciences, the atlas was completed over several years and comprises 55 sheets containing 450 maps, covering natural conditions, history, population, nationalities, agriculture, industry, transport, finance, and education. The compilation made full use of the 1930 census data and materials from central institutions, applying mathematical methods to enhance the accuracy of statistical maps. Reproduced by the Military Geographical Institute, the atlas was issued in fascicles from 1934 onward, representing the first comprehensive work of its kind in Czechoslovakia, aiming to present the country's situation in a scientific and objective manner.

Fr. Říkovský

This article reviews the Atlas of the Czechoslovak Republic, published in 1935. The atlas contains 55 map sheets with a total of 504 maps and cartograms, covering natural conditions, demographics, and economy. The author acknowledges the atlas's significant value in statistical cartographic methodology but criticizes its imbalances: economic statistics dominate (49%), while geographical perspectives are weak, with a notable lack of synthetic maps and minimal participation by geographers. The author concludes that although the atlas is an outstanding analytical economic-demographic work, it represents a missed opportunity for Czechoslovak geography.

V. Švambera

This article is a response to criticisms of the Atlas of the Czechoslovak Republic. The author notes that while the editorial board anticipated unfavorable reviews from abroad, it did not expect domestic scholars, such as Prof. Říkovský, to condemn the work as a 'lost opportunity' for Czechoslovak geography. The article systematically refutes the main points of criticism: the atlas's statistical bias, its lack of synthetic and genetic maps, and insufficient coverage of regional divisions and cultural areas. The author emphasizes that the atlas's program was fixed in 1928, constrained by the maturity of geographical research at the time, data availability, and financial and temporal limitations, making many proposed additions impossible. The article argues that the critic overlooked the atlas's contributions in statistical analysis, physical geography, and cultural information, and notes that similar shortcomings were present in the Finnish and Polish atlases then regarded as models. The author concludes that the atlas represented the best achievable outcome under the circumstances and deserves recognition for its value.

Kuchař

The Atlas of the Czechoslovak Republic was published in 1935 by Orbis in Prague, issued by the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences with support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It comprises 55 map sheets accompanied by explanatory texts in Czech, French, German, or English. Initiated in 1921 and completed after fifteen years of work, the atlas was printed by the Military Geographical Institute. Its structure covers natural conditions, population, agriculture, mining, metallurgy, industry, transport, trade, education, and physical training, with a concluding section on statistical methods. Although some data derive from the 1921 census, the atlas predominantly reflects conditions of the preceding decade, aiming to illustrate interrelations between geographical and economic phenomena. It stands as a definitive geographical representation of Czechoslovakia and a significant national document for international presentation.

H. Hassinger

This is an academic review of the Atlas of the Czechoslovak Republic (1936), published by the Czech Academy under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The atlas comprises 66 double-page map sheets covering physical geography, population, agriculture, industry, transport, and culture. The review praises its detailed treatment of climate, geology, vegetation, and economic statistics, particularly in agriculture and mining. However, it criticizes the nationality map for 1930, which uses shades of pink and red to represent Czech population shares, including areas with less than 6% Czechs, thereby visually submerging compact minority settlements (especially Germans) as mere "islands" on a Czech background, creating a misleading impression of ethnic distribution. The review also notes the absence of historical maps showing the Sudetenlands' long affiliation with the Holy Roman Empire and Slovakia's with Hungary, and the inadequate treatment of Germanic settlement history. Despite these flaws, the atlas is deemed an indispensable reference for the geography of Czechoslovakia.

Hans Raupach

This review examines the Atlas of the Czechoslovak Republic, published in 1935 by the Czech Academy of Sciences and Arts. The atlas, a product of ten years of labor, comprises 55 large plates with numerous insets and demonstrates high technical and visual quality. However, its ethnographic maps exhibit a clear political bias, employing specific color scales and typologies to emphasize the unity of the Czechoslovak nation while downplaying the presence of German and other minorities. This stands in contrast to the more objective cartography of Rauchberg. The atlas's demographic, economic, and cultural maps offer rich data, revealing a significant west-east gradient in national biology and socio-economic conditions, as well as the offensive tendencies of Czech cultural policy in German-speaking areas. The author concludes that the atlas is of considerable value to German scholarship, urging German and Sudeten German researchers to engage in a critical analysis and to produce complementary maps from their own perspective.

Fr. Řikovský; V. Švambera

This article records an academic debate published in 1937 in the Journal of the Czechoslovak Geographical Society concerning the Atlas of the Czechoslovak Republic. Geographer Říkovský criticized the atlas for being predominantly analytical and statistical, lacking synthetic geographical maps (e.g., original landscape, hydrological types, settlement geography), and argued that it represented a missed opportunity for advancing geographical science. Editor Švambera responded that the atlas's scope was constrained by the availability of authors, data, and technical resources, and acknowledged that the absence of synthetic maps stemmed from practical difficulties rather than ideological opposition. The exchange addressed fundamental questions regarding static versus dynamic-genetic approaches in geography and the distinction between analytical and geographical maps. The debate concluded with the editor's final remarks, followed by the program of the 4th Congress of Czechoslovak Geographers.

This article reviews six representative European atlases: Stieler's Grand Atlas (International Edition), Sweden's Allt för Allas Världsatlas, the Atlas de France, the Atlas of the Czechoslovak Republic, the Atlas of Lower Saxony, and the Economic-Transport Geographic Atlas of Pomerania. It observes that modern atlases have evolved from conventional locational maps to specialized thematic maps, driven by intensified nationalism, social-economic planning, and rising educational standards. Stieler's atlas adheres to the locational tradition, renowned for scholarship and technical excellence; the Swedish atlas focuses on Scandinavia with aesthetic appeal; the French atlas covers diverse topics including agriculture, transport, and political opinion distribution; the Czechoslovak atlas is hailed as a masterpiece covering geography, demography, economy, and more; the two German regional atlases serve as data sources for agricultural regeneration and resettlement planning. The review also compares cartographic techniques, such as dot methods and areal tints, across these works.

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.

Stefan Zmuda

National atlases present a comprehensive, scientifically considered synthesis of knowledge about a given country, which, under the current system of national economic planning, constitutes an essential basis for preliminary considerations of the economic problems of respective countries. This article first explains the significance and characteristics of national atlases, then, using the atlases of France, Sweden, Czechoslovakia, the USSR, and Scotland as examples, provides a detailed account of their editorial bodies, formats, content structure, scale systems, cartographic methods, and publication status, evaluating their respective strengths and weaknesses. The latter part of the article focuses on reviewing the compilation history of the Polish National Atlas (Atlas Polski), a project undertaken by the Polish State Cartographic and Publishing Enterprise (PPWK), originally planned for publication in fascicles and covering physiographic, human, and economic topics. However, the project was discontinued after the publication of only four fascicles (including map sets on geology, geomorphology, soils, hydrography, climate, and biogeography), and the project for the General World Atlas (Atlas Powszechny) was also completely abandoned. The article analyzes the reasons for the project's failure, concluding that a lack of cooperation and support from external factors was the main cause of the cessation of these publications, a setback that severely damaged the prestige of Polish cartography. Finally, the author calls for the resumption or restart of the national atlas project on the occasion of Poland's millennium, framing it as a paramount task for Polish cartography to comprehensively present the country's achievements and meet the diverse needs of education, science, and socio-economic planning, emphasizing that national atlases are the best medium for disseminating knowledge about a country to the world.

Sándor Radó

This paper reports on the compilation plan of the National Atlas of Czechoslovakia. The atlas, planned by the Geographical Committee of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, is a completely new second edition following the 1936 first edition. It is expected to comprise 60–65 map sheets, organized into four sections: physical geography, political and population geography, economic and transport geography, and typical landscape regions. The atlas employs innovative cartographic methods, such as the dot method, area-based averages, and complex value units, with main maps at a scale of 1:1,000,000, accompanied by a text volume and a photo atlas. The paper also briefly reports on the first tellurometer measurement test conducted in Mátészalka, Hungary, in September 1959, where measured distances differed from geodetic values by a few centimeters.

Miroslav Blažek

This paper examines key issues in the compilation of industrial maps for national atlases, using the preparation of the new Atlas of the Czechoslovak Republic as its context. It argues that industrial maps should form the core of economic cartography within a national atlas. Three principal problems are identified: first, establishing a base data network for industrial distribution based on geographic units of population and production concentration rather than administrative boundaries; second, creating a simple and general industrial classification scheme to facilitate international comparability; and third, selecting appropriate indices of industrial capacity, such as employment figures or physical output. The paper also addresses the complexity of representing economic-geographic relations, suggesting supplementary schematic diagrams or the selective use of relevant base map features. It concludes that the overarching goal should be the maximum feasible unification of national atlas content, contributing to international peaceful coexistence.

Antonín Götz

This article presents fundamental information on the preparation of the National Atlas of Czechoslovakia. The Congress of Czechoslovak Geographers in 1957 designated the atlas's publication as a primary task, after which the Presidium of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences appointed an editorial board that developed the map list, plan, and model. The atlas, measuring 86×50 cm, uses a main map scale of 1:1,000,000, with each sheet's reverse bearing Russian and English text summaries and explanations. Compared with eleven major foreign national atlases, this atlas ranks third in size, containing over 400 maps on 58 sheets. It employs an equal-area conic projection with a standard parallel at 49°30′, and a scale sequence from 1:1,000,000 to 1:6,000,000. The structure comprises: Introduction (4 sheets), Natural Environment (19), Population and Settlements (7), National Economy (22 – Industry 9, Agriculture 8, Transport and Foreign Trade 5), and Living Standards (6). The article compares the new atlas with the pre-war Atlas of the Czechoslovak Republic, noting that the new edition achieves greater content density through more economical layout without compromising readability. Cartographically, some maps at 1:1,000,000 are designed by municipalities (approximately 12,000 in the CSSR). In the population section, certain cartograms divide districts into inner and outer parts according to the proportion of urban and rural inhabitants, respectively. Relative value scales are typically equidistant, while absolute value scales are gradual or continuous, with symbol areas (usually circles) proportional to phenomenon quantities. The dot method is widely used in the agriculture section, particularly for depicting crop areas. The atlas's creation involved collaboration among numerous geographical institutions, including Academy of Science institutes, the Central Administration of Geodesy and Cartography, and university geography departments. A complete list of map sheets with their scales is appended.

Josef Huršky

In the now National Atlas of Czechoslovakia more attention is paid to the network of retail-trade than it is usual in most other national atlases. This is due to the fact that the state control of the economic activity above mentioned in socialist countries makes possible true statistics, especially those of the retail turnover.

W. Stams

This article reviews the National Atlas of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, published in 1966. As the first representative work of its kind in a socialist state, the atlas comprises 58 map sheets with approximately 440 individual maps, comprehensively depicting the country's natural conditions, population and social structure, and national economy. The review examines the atlas's design features, including the primary scale of 1:1,000,000, the combination of supplementary maps at various scales, and bilingual legends. It evaluates in detail the cartographic methods and expressiveness of thematic maps covering geology, geomorphology, hydrology, vegetation, population, industry, agriculture, and transport. The author concludes that the atlas represents an outstanding achievement of Czechoslovak geosciences and cartography, while noting areas for potential improvement, such as the static nature of statistical maps, the legibility of complex synthetic maps, and the limited use of large-scale topographic insets.

Bernard Rouleau

This article reviews seven atlases published in the 1960s, covering regional comprehensive atlases, national thematic atlases, and methodological works on statistical cartography. It analyzes in turn the content structure, cartographic techniques, and design characteristics of each work, including the Atlas of North Carolina, the Atlas Nacional de España, Roberto Bachi's Graphical Rational Patterns system, the demographic fascicle of the Atlas économique et social pour l'Aménagement du Territoire, the Atlas National de Hongrie, the Atlas of the Pacific Northwest Resources and Development, and the Atlas of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. The author acknowledges the achievements of these atlases in terms of documentary richness, thematic diversity, and cartographic expressiveness, while also pointing out limitations in format innovation, scale selection, and visual presentation. The review reflects a deep consideration of atlases as tools for regional synthesis and statistical visualization.

李海晨

This article reviews three significant national atlases of mid-20th-century Europe: the Atlas of the Czechoslovak Republic (first published in 1935, reissued 1962-1966), the Atlas of the Republic of Austria (published 1960-1980), and the Atlas of Switzerland (issued in installments from 1965). These atlases comprehensively depict the natural conditions, population, socio-economic and cultural development of their respective countries. They employ projections suited to national territorial shapes (e.g., Czechoslovakia's use of the 49°N standard parallel) and flexibly utilize various cartographic methods—such as dot density, choropleth, graduated symbols, and hill shading—to present thematic data in layered detail. Each atlas includes extensive explanatory texts, some with multilingual captions (e.g., Czech/Slovak with French or English; German with French and Italian), reflecting the high standard of regional atlas compilation at the time. These works not only provide rich geographic information but also set exemplary models for subsequent national atlas projects, holding significant academic reference value.