Last check: 04/23/2025 Slap count: 4 Last checked ID: 16777215
13 June 2021 - map update
nowy
From
the collection of the National Library of Poland (polona.pl), about 500 sheets of the German 1:100,000
copies of Polish tactical map by WIG, mostly in black and
white. The originals bear pre-WW2 dates and their copies are undated,
so with no specific information from written German sources, we can
assume dating as approx. 1939.
What's left behind to add is the German copies of WIG 1:100,000 series,
mainly in black & white. These should become available within the
next few weeks.
nowy
Approx. 550 sheets of the Austro-Hungarian 1:75,000
Spezialkarte 1:75 000 map - through the digital library of
the National Library of Poland, but from the collection of the
Jagiellonian University of Krakow. Unfortunately, the sheets do not
plug missing areas in the index sheets, they are high-resolution (600
dpi) versions of the 300 dpi sheets we already have from the same
source.
We have had some requests to fill in gaps in the coverage of German
1:25,000 topo maps from the western part of the country. To do that, we
used scans from the Canadian McMaster University 600 dpi) as well as
the University of Berkeley, California (300 dpi), plus a few dozens of
sheets from our own collection (600 dpi). In total, approx. 3,100
sheets which are available via „Topographische Karte / Messtischblatt -
Germany”. Some 25 sheets or more from the border area of
Holland and France ‘spilled’ over the edge of the known world, because
our index sheet does not extend far enough to the west. These sheets
are available via map list and marked on the list as ‘empty’ (though
they are not). And for the continuous, year-round,,spring cleaning, we
have added several sheets of the GSGS 4144 (Germany 1:25 000).
To clarify, we are not working on, or planning to provide full coverage
of either original (i.e. German) or Allied (AMS / GSGS) series covering
the territory of Germany, given the number of sheets and editions runs
into dozens of thousands...
And, while working on the above, it was hard to notice a gap in
coverage that is Bavaria (Bayern). Fortunately, courtesy of the
University of Berkeley library, we were able to provide approx. 320
sheets of a 1:25,000 map of Bavaria (Topogr. Karte von Bayern w skali 1:25 000),
cut along different lines to the regular German Topographische Karte.
The sheets from Berkeley are at 300 dpi, plus approx. 25 sheets
from our own collection, at 600 dpi. Since we don't have our own index
sheet, the maps are available as a list, and the coverage (approx.) can
be checked on original German index sheets from 1944 below the list.
With some exceptions, most newly-added maps are already available, from
other sources. However, the new copies are very well-scanned at 600 dpi
resolution, so they're highly recommended.
From the same collection, we have added up to 40 other, 1:100,000
German maps, such as Kreiskarten Umgebungskarten Manöverkarten
(maps produced for large-scale military manouvers)
Please note: the manouver-maps are large, and scanned at 600 dpi, so
indivudal jpg files can reach up to 100 - 120 Mb.
From the collection of the Digital National
Library of Poland (polona.pl) we have added approx. 300+ sheets of the German 1:100,000 map
(Grossblatt / Einheitsblatt). Please be aware! - the maps
were scanned at 600 dpi, so the jpg files range from 60 - 100 Mb. This is very likely to cause
problems when you try to open the files in your browser (left-click) as
browsers are not designed to handle such large files. We would
recommend downloading and saving files on your computer (RIGHT-CLICK /
save as...).
A small, Christmas update: approx. 130 small-scale US maps dated 1942
- 1953. Originally most sheets were produced by the OSS
(Office of Strategic Services) and Department of State, and from 1947
onwards, by CIA. The maps are mainly related to strategic and
geopolitical events unfolding in Central and Eastern Europe. It is a
rather subjective selection, including some, somewhat unusual in 2020,
like a series of maps of the USSR showing areas "off-limits" to
foreigners (by the look of it, about 90%). The recurring motif is,
naturally, cold-come-hot war, sometimes only hovering in the wings, elsewhere, displayed
bluntly. 600 dpi scans
come from the University of Stanford, California, libraries, while 300
dpi from the US National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
A certain... "supplement" is a set of 9 sheets, one-colour
reproduction of WIG 1:300,000 maps. This "edition" comes
from
1946 r. in the US Department of State, and they show a new, "eastern
boundary of Poland" with the USSR.
nowy_update
From the collection of Berkeley
Library, University of California we have added sheets from four
map series:
1. Grossblatt / Einheitsblatt (approx. 330
sheets)
2. Umgebungskarte Norwegen (1:25,000 and
1:50,000) - approx. 50 sheets
For better orientation, the list of maps of Norway includes, at the
bottom, a few German index sheets dated 1941 and 1944
3. Topographische Karte (Messtischblatt),
1:25,000, approx. 1500 sheets from East Germany and occupied
Poland:
- approx. 800 sheets by the Reichsamt für Landesaufnahme, including 45
coloured sheets (mehrfarbig)
- approx. 150 arkuszy "Planblatt A" (Geheim), from the areas covered by
German fortification lines. Please note, this edition does NOT show
actual fortifications!
- approx. 400 sheets of the military edition (Deutsche Heereskarte),
dated 1944 and 1945
- approx. 50 wydań Königliche Preussische Landesaufnahme, by 1917
- approx. 100 reprinted sheets (often with changed place-names, mostly
from the area of the so-called Polish corridor, printed in August 1944
by stellvertr. Generalkommando XX. A.K., Abtlg. Ia Mess/Mil.-Geo. Danzig
A few comments: when downloading town plans sourced from digital
libraries it
is not recommend
to rely on resolution information presented in file metadata. Usual,
the actual resolution is much higher than declared. Moreover (this
applies particularly to digital libraries in Poland), high compression
rate used by those libraries means that even high-resolution files can
be very poor quality images. Unfortunately, there's no rhyme or reason,
i.e. some files from one library can be excellent, while others - from
the very same library - are very poor.
And for those disappointed with lack of new (historical) maps... well,
take a look at links below: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
The files in the links above can be downloaded, but not from the actual
zoomable window but from the file list at the bottom of those pages.
Scans are only 300 dpi, but very well scanned.
Other German maps scanned and recently made available by the Berkeley
Library (University of California) can be found here. The
Library will scan and add new files, but specific dates are unknown, in
one word - covid.
Hey, Marek! Trying to access maps at your page "Other Central European Maps, via both Chrome and Opera browsers, I get the dialog box "File not found (404 error)
If you think what you'r
Hello: I do Polish Genealogy. I need a topo map of Poland with major cities which I’ve never been able to find on the WEB. It should show post partition Poland with an out line of pre-partition Pola
Hi:
Are there any other maps showing parishes such as:
Andrzej Tomczak
Siec parafialna
Wojewoddztwa pomorskiego
Okregu bytowskiego I leborskiego
W drugiej polowie xvi wieku
Skala 1:300.
Thanks