Romania
National Atlases
This gallery presents the national atlas tradition of Romania, a country whose cartographic heritage reflects its shifting political and scholarly landscapes. The three atlases on display span 1965–1996, a period when Romania evolved from a socialist republic to a post-communist state. The earliest, *Atlas geografic: Republica Socialistă România* (1965), emerged during the height of socialist-era state-building, when national atlases served as instruments of territorial and ideological consolidation. The second, *Atlas: Republica Socialistă România* (1979), produced by the Academy of the Socialist Republic of Romania’s Institute of Geography, exemplifies a mature phase of centralized academic cartography, with systematic coverage of physical and human geography. The final work, *România: Atlas istorico-geografic* (1996), published by the Romanian Academy after the 1989 revolution, marks a shift toward historical-geographic synthesis, integrating archival research with modern mapping techniques. Together, these volumes illustrate a continuity of institutional commitment—from state-sponsored projects to post-socialist academic endeavors—and their enduring value lies in documenting Romania’s territorial identity across political epochs, serving as essential references for geographers, historians, and planners.
Versions and Their Documents
Contemporary and Later Comment
- Journal Article2004National and Regional Atlases as an Expression of National/Regional Identities: New Examples from Post-Communist Europe
Peter Jordan
This paper examines national and regional atlases from four post-communist European countries—Slovenia, Croatia, Polish Silesia, and Romania—as expressions of national or regional identity. The analysis reveals that these atlases construct and reinforce specific identity narratives through thematic choices including historical maps, dialect distributions, emigration networks, and border evolution. Slovenia emphasizes its Alpine character and ancient cultural heritage; Croatia highlights historical continuity and an ethnic corpus extending beyond state borders; the Silesian atlas integrates multiple historical identities, including the sensitive issue of postwar population exchange; Romania traces national origins back to Roman times. The study concludes that atlases serve not merely as geographic references but as significant instruments for constructing political and cultural identity, with their content and cartographic methods deeply reflecting identity politics within specific historical contexts.
From the Physical Collection
Photographs are being prepared for this hall.