Browse Collections (82 total)

What distinguishes a boulevard from a street? Good question. In Kiev, Kerch, Bogodukhov, and Pereiaslav, the legends actually note the presence of a planned or existing boulevard. In the other 22 instances, we rely on the presence of trees - or the graphic representation of trees, to be precise - to distinguish a boulevard... which can be…

Grape. Mulberry. Birch. Shrubs and grasses. Flowers and weeds... And these are just the gardens the plans allow us to see! Imagine what else was underfoot (or overhead or around the corner). Start Exploring What happens if I click on an entry?You will open a page showing an image of the place on the plan that depicts the feature, along with an…

When one encounters a river, one has 3 options*: wade in, sail across, or climb over. Most humans, particularly when transporting quantities of goods or people, prefer to avoid getting wet - thus the longstanding popularity of ferries and bridges.95% of the plans in the collection show rivers. Of those, 53% attest to the presence - extant or…

Almost every plan in this collection mentions existing or planned ramparts and trenches: clearly, imperial officials felt that a town must have walls. But not every town had a fortress - or a forepost, for that matter. In fact, less than 10% fall into this category. Some were major fortresses, such as Shlisselburg and Vyborg. Some were nothing but…

Ah, the famous Russian steam bath. News, gossip, relaxation, and hygiene - all in one place.

Oddly, banyas occur on less than 10% of the town plans in the collection. But don't be fooled. The fact that most turn up in Simbirsk, Chernigov, and Kharkov provinces suggests that their relative scarcity is a function of the thoroughness of the urban…

Apothecaries have a geography all their own. (So says the map.) And we have questions. For starters, could it be true that there were no apothecaries in the imperial capital or in other large towns? Is it possible that they were, in fact, widespread and yet only made it "on the map" in a handful of locations? (Were they inconsequential? Or too…