Maps are incredible tools for preserving memories and the essence of a place. Although maps from the past are becoming more accessible thanks to digitisation, their unusual cartographic methods or orientations can be challenging for average users to understand. Created only with black and blue inks, obsolete symbols, scarce labels mainly in Russian, a lack of legend, and an orientation to the west, the 1856 map of Warsaw and its surroundings is not easy to work with.
My map redesign was not just about aesthetics, but about creating an engaging educational tool. Combining historical information with modern design makes the map a window into Warsaw’s past and present. This approach can invite users to witness the city’s evolution and help understand the connections between the centuries.
The front side of the map contains a description of the map and information on the pattern of streets, including former and current names, developments, land use, and essential objects of the time. The reader can easily see the former city borders and gates, vanished streams, army areas and factories, as well as the city’s first waterworks, statues, fountains and mills. This way, looking at the map can help residents of apartment blocks in Młynów (Mill Area) understand the name of the place where they have lived for years.
Additional data obtained from OpenStreetMap helps connect the map to the current topography, with currently important buildings and current river Vistula’s flow in orange – revealing the location of the modern Copernicus Science Centre in the middle of the river. With numbered tags, important objects from the past that do not exist anymore have been highlighted, with the back of the map showing the original map and description of these objects. The description cards were located on the sides so the reader could fold one of the sides and read about an object while still looking at the map.
Nothing from the 1856 map was lost in the redesign process. The lower part of the front side also contains original statistical information, and for added educational value and better orientation in place and time, a timeline of Warsaw’s population, its comparison to different cities of that time, and the evolution of the city’s limits were placed.
The overall process began with georeferencing and vectorising the original map in QGIS, accompanied by research on the outdated symbology. Further, the new design was created in QGIS and Adobe Illustrator, concentrating on orange for information bridging the past and the current times.
The overall process resulted in creating a double-sided map that lets the readers go on a trip through time. Users can easily navigate the streets they follow daily and learn about their surroundings and history. It is also a foldable and handy print that can be used on a walking trip.
Have a look at all the interesting details in the compressed pdf (22mb).
The map was created as part of the course Project Map Creation at TU Wien in summer semester 2024.
Student: Jakub Kaczorowski