Department of Historical Atlas

Deputy Head: Professor Bogumił Szady

Antkowski Dariusz, MA
Dr hab. Anna Barcz
Dr Agata Błoch
Arkadiusz Borek, MA
Dr Andrzej Buczyło
Dr Wiesława Duży
Maria Guzik-Jureczka
Dr Eng. Anna Fiedukowicz
Maria Fronczak, MSc
Michał Gochna, MA
Dr Melchior Jakubowski
Dr Eng. Clodomir Joaquim de Santana Júnior
Piotr Jaskulski
Artur Karpacz, MA
Tomasz Królik, MA
Danuta Macheta, MA
Grzegorz Myrda, MSc Eng
Miłosz Myrda, MA
Dr Katarzyna Słomska-Przech
Dr Michał Słomski – Department Secretary
Jarosław Suproniuk, MA
Aniela Wrzesińska, Eng
Dr Adam Zapała

Cooperators:
Professor Krzysztof Chłapowski
Piotr Kann, MA
Professor Marzena Liedke
Maciuszek Dawid, MA
Dr Anna Paulina Orłowska
Dr Kazimierz Pacuski
Henryk Rutkowski, MA
Dr hab. Marek Słoń
Marcin Sobiech, MA
Dr Tomasz Związek

Contact:
atlas@ihpanstary.aionline.dev

The Department of Historical Atlas (ZAH) specialises in research related to widely understood historical geography and historical cartography, which is an important element of spatial perspective in historical scholarship. The Department’s employees deal with this issue from both the substantive and technological side (construction of research infrastructure). For almost 70 years the main task of the Department was to develop the series “Historical Atlas of Poland. Detailed maps of the 16th century” (AHP), but in recent years other areas of research have also been included in the scope of interest. These include, among others, editing of historical sources with spatial reference, development of domain ontologies, harmonization and integration of historical geospatial data, or development of research methods supported by IT tools. The role of the Department is to combine documentation work with scientific research. The information obtained within the projects becomes a part of historical geoportal: a repository of historical spatial data, which can be used by all interested persons. The Department has a Team for Modelling and Analyzing Historical Research Data, consisting of: Grzegorz Myrda MA – head; Anna Fiedukowicz PhD, Piotr Jaskulski, Szymon Kołakowski, Tomasz Królik, Dawid Maciuszek MA, Miłosz Myrda MA, Piotr Plebankiewicz, Aniela Rząsa, Bogumił Szady PhD habil., Adam Zapała PhD. This Team aims to develop and maintain digital research tools and infrastructure. The Department is also associated with the AtlasFontium website (https://atlasfontium.pl/): an internet portal dedicated to publishing historical sources and research results, as well as making available spatially referenced materials concerning the old Poland, and the journal “Studia Geohistorica” (https://apcz.umk.pl/AZMDDP; IH PAN and the Polish Historical Association, editor-in-chief Bogumił Szady). Currently, the Department is carrying out several research projects.

Current projects:

‘Cartography at service of the state reforms in the times of Stanisław August Poniatowski – a critical study of the Geographical-Statistical Description of the Parishes of the Kingdom of Poland and the maps of the Crown palatinates by Karol Perthées’; principal investigator: Bogumił Szady PhD, habil. (professor of IH PAN), funded by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education (the National Development Programme for Humanities), No. 11H 18 0122 87, period: 2020–2025. The main objective of the project is the critical study and online publication of Karol Perthées’s ‘Geographical-Statistical Description of the Parishes of the Kingdom of Poland’ and special maps of the Crown Provinces. These are basic and extremely valuable sources for the study of the cultural and historical-political landscape of Polish lands in the second half of the 18th century. This study will have two advantages. Firstly, in terms of documentary and cartographic research, it will provide a picture of the settlement network and administrative divisions of the Crown (within the boundaries from before the Second Partition). Secondly, in terms of problem research, the material gathered will be the main source basis for a monographic study on ‘Cartography at service of the state reforms in the times of Stanisław August Poniatowski’. The following persons from ZAH participate in the project: Bogumił Szady PhD, habil. (head), Arkadiusz Borek MA, Michał Gochna MA, Tomasz Królik, Grzegorz Myrda MA, Tomasz Panecki PhD. Project website: https://perthees.ihpanstary.aionline.dev/.
‘Historical Atlas of Poland. Red Ruthenia in the second half of the 16th century – preparation of detailed maps in digital form and editing of sources’, managed by Andrzej Janeczek, Ph.D., Professor IAE PAN, funded by the NPRH, No. 11H 20 0390 88, years 2022–2027. The project is a natural, even expected development of the atlas initiatives carried out so far. The publishing series ‘Historical Atlas of Poland. Detailed maps of the 16th century’ (AHP) was completed in 2021, fulfilling the entire territorial scope set out for it in the 1960s. Other lands of the Crown, including Red Ruthenia incorporated into the Polish state in the mid-14th century, were not included in this programme. Extending the AHP to include Red Ruthenia, the oldest annex of the Crown, a separate district with its own fate, would enrich the picture of Poland at that time as a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural state, made up of various components, not only those belonging to the old Piast heritage. The integration processes to which the Red Ruthenia was subjected from the mid-14th century are usually seen in cultural or political terms. This time, the results of settlement changes, colonisation, urbanisation, migration, the development of land ownership, as well as the construction of ecclesiastical structures, will be visible. In addition to the immediate goal of reconstructing a comprehensive picture of the large Crown district of these times, the project will provide effective tools for various disciplines, belonging not only to the historical sciences, and will give impetus to the study of the eastern half of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, slowly recovering from its post-war decline. The following persons from ZAH participate in the project: Grzegorz Myrda, MA, Tomasz Panecki, PhD, Jarosław Suproniuk, MA, and Bogumił Szady PhD, habil.
‘DARIAH-PL Digital Research Infrastructure for the Arts and Humanities’, leader at IH PAN: Adam Zapała PhD, funded under the Smart Growth Operational Programme 2014–2020. The aim of the project is to create a national intelligent digital research infrastructure for the humanities and art sciences – an advanced platform for capturing, storing, integrating data of different categories and quality, processing and sharing digital resources for large-scale research in the humanities and art sciences, as well as for applications in the economy. The project is carried out in the DARIAH.Lab consortium. The project involves ZAH employees: Adam Zapała PhD (principal investigator), Bogumił Szady PhD habil., Piotr Plebankiewicz, Szymon Kołakowski, Grzegorz Myrda MA, Miłosz Myrda MA, Piotr Jaskulski, Anna Fiedukowicz PhD, Tomasz Królik, Dariusz Antkowski, as well as representatives of other documentation departments of the Institute of History (PSB, SHG, BHP).
‘Historical Atlas of Poland 2.0’, principal investigator: Tomasz Panecki PhD, funded by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, SONP/SP/466930/2020, period: 2020–2022. As part of the project, a system is being developed, which consists of large resources of original historical data and a set of digital tools for their further collection, processing, and dissemination. AHP 2.0 will be intended for active use and enrichment by its users. The recipients of the project are people interested in the spatial dimension of history and the past of geographical objects, both professionals and amateurs. The project involves ZAH employees: Tomasz Panecki PHD (principal investigator), Dawid Maciuszek MA, Grzegorz Myrda MA, Katarzyna Słomska-Przech PhD, Aniela Rząsa.
‘Jesuits of the East? Artistic network of the Basilian order in Eighteenth-Century Poland-Lithuania’, principal investigator: Melchior Jakubowski PhD, funded by the National Science Centre, No. 2021/40/C/HS3/00045, period: 2021–2024. The project aims to reassemble the artistic network of the Basilian order using GIS (Geographic Information System) and SNA (Social Network Analysis) to discover the connections within and around the order between people, ideas, objects, and places. At the same time, it will allow the verification of the thesis on the application of the Jesuit model of functioning in the order combining the traditions of Eastern and Western Christianity. Within ZAH, Melchior Jakubowski PhD (principal investigator) and Tomasz Panecki PhD are participating in the project.
‘Polish diplomats at the Holy See in the second half of 16th century – library and archive searches’, principal investigator: Adam Zapała PhD, funded by the National Scientific Centre (Miniatura 5). The aim of the project is to conduct a query in the Vatican Archives and the Vatican Library. The result of the project will be the acquisition and cataloging of scans of papal sources of provenance regarding Polish diplomats staying at the Holy See in the second half of the 15th century, and on their basis creating a database containing a list of Polish deputies to the pope from that period. The planned query will be an introduction to further research on the activities of Polish diplomats at the Holy See during the Renaissance. The main research problems will be the way of building the position of Polish envoys at the papal court, their role in communication between Poles and the Roman Curia, and the impact on the reception of Renaissance culture in Poland.
‘The Uniate Church in the Podlasie and Brest-Litovsk district in the first years after partitions (1795–1807) – parish structures and clergy’, principal investigator: Andrzej Buczyło PhD, funded by the National Scientific Centre (Miniatura 4), No. 2021/05/X/HS3/00845, period: 2022. The aim of the project is to make a preliminary analysis of the changes that took place in the Uniate Church after 1795 in Podlasie and the Brest-Litovsk district (within the pre-partition borders). Two aspects will be analyzed: deanery and parish structures and secular clergy. The research funded by the grant will be carried out in the Vilnius archives and libraries.
‘Map for the Nation. Digital Edition of the “Charter of Former Poland” (“Karta Dawnej Polski”) by Wojciech Chrzanowski’, principal investigator: Tomasz Panecki PhD, funded by the Ministry of Education Science, no. NdS/543210/2021/2022, period: 2022–2024. The project involves the development of a digital edition of the “Charter of Former Poland” elaborated by General Wojciech Chrzanowski published in Paris in 1859 at a scale of 1:300,000. The project has three objectives. First, the map image and its contents (towns, economic objects, roads, other toponyms) will be made available as a digital edition via a web application. The edition will be presented on the AtlasFontium website (https://atlasfontium.pl/). Second, as part of the source and editorial commentary, the map will be characterized as a cartographic and historical source, and the methodology for preparing the edition will be explained. The first part will be devoted to source-related aspects. It will be important to familiarize the audience with the social context in which Chrzanowski’s map was created in order to show under what conditions cartographers of the time worked and how their initiatives served society. The second part will discuss the methodology of preparing the digital edition. Thirdly, we will organize online workshops for teachers, employees of cultural heritage institutions (museums, libraries, cultural centers), members of associations involved in the popularization of knowledge about the history of the region (“small homeland”), and for employees of archives. Following employees of the Department of Historical Atlas are involved in the project: Tomasz Panecki (principal investigator), Anna Barcz, Wiesława Duży, Michał Gochna and Aniela Wrzesińska.

Completed projects:

‘Historical Ontology of Urban Space (HOUSe)’, principal investigator: Wiesława Duży PhD, funded by NAWA, PPI/APM/2019/1/00053/U/00001, period: 2019–2022. Project website: https://urbanonto.ihpanstary.aionline.dev. Ontology and specifications: https://github.com/urbanonto
‘A Historical Atlas of Poland in the 16th century – supplements to the series’, principal investigator: Marek Słoń PhD habil., funded by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education (the National Development Programme for Humanities), No. 1aH 15 0373 83, period 2016–2021, Project results.
‘Historical Atlas of Poland in 16th century’, principal investigator: Marek Słoń PhD habil., funded by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education (the National Development Programme for Humanities), No. 31H 11 0088 80, period: 2012–2014, value: 200.000 PLN.
‘Historical Atlas of Polish Towns: Kalisz’, principal investigator: Urszula Sowina PhD habil., funded by the National Science Centre, No. 2015/19/B/HS3/00549, period: 2016–2019, value: 177.800 PLN.
‘Settlement network of Warmia (Ermland) – preliminary research’, principal investigator: Wiesława Duży PhD, funded by the National Science Centre, No. 2018/02/X/HS3/03344, period: 2019–2020, value: 11.064 PLN.
‘Old maps’ digital editions: perspectives and constraints on the example of Geographic-Military and Statistical Map of Greater Poland (1807–1812)’, principal investigator: Tomasz Panecki PhD, funded by the National Science Centre, No. 2015/17/N/HS3/01267, period: 2016–2019, value: 112.320 PLN. Project results.
‘Ontological Foundations for Building Historical Geoinformation Systems’, leader Bogumił Szady PhD habil., funded by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education (the National Development Programme for Humanities), No. 2bH 15 0216 83, period: 2016–2019, value: 1.070.160 PLN. Project results.
‘Annual Fairs in Greater Poland from the Late Middle Ages to the Deluge (1385–1655)’, principal investigator: Anna Paulina Orłowska PhD, funded by the National Science Centre, No. 2014/13/N/HS3/04425, period: 2017–2019, value: 768.736 PLN.
‘Kalisz consistory court records, 1504–1534’, principal investigator: Arkadiusz Borek MA, funded by the National Science Centre, No. 2014/13/N/HS3/04425, period: 2015–2018, value: 102.700 PLN. Project results.
‘Digital edition of court of justice books from the District of Kalisz from 1587–1593’, principal investigator: Michał Gochna MA, funded by the National Science Centre, No. 2014/13/N/HS3/04421, period: 2015–2018, value: 149.890 PLN. Project results.
‘Digital Edition of the Kalisz District Court Registers form the turn of the 15th and 16th century’, principal investigator: Tomasz Związek MA, funded by the National Science Centre, No. 2014/13/N/HS3/04428, period: 2015–2018, value: 149.500 PLN. Project results.
‘The Summary of Metrica Regni Poloniae no. 140’, principal investigator: Krzysztof Chłapowski PhD habil., funded by the National Science Centre, No. 2015/19/B/HS3/01756, period: 2016–2017, value: 17.280 PLN.
‘Historical Atlas of Poland. Detailed maps of the 16th century – Greater Poland’, principal investigator: Marek Słoń PhD habil., funded by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education (the National Development Programme for Humanities), No. 11H 11 004080, period: 2014–2016.
‘The Summary of Metrica Regni Poloniae no. 139’, principal investigator: Krzysztof Chłapowski PhD habil., funded by the National Science Centre, No. 2014/13/N/HS3/04425, period: 2014–2015, value: 18.720 PLN.
‘The Summary of Metrica Regni Poloniae no. 138’, principal investigator: Krzysztof Chłapowski PhD habil., funded by the National Science Centre, No. 2011/03/B/HS3/00535, period: 2012–2013, value: 18.850 PLN.
‘Funding for computerisation of the work on the Historical Atlas of Poland’, principal investigator: Marek Słoń PhD habil., funded by the FNP-Exterius, period: 2010, value: 60.000 PLN.