Browse Collections (82 total)

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…

The town plans offer us 12 glimpses of canals (across 9 towns). Some are part of grandiose public works projects meant to reconfigure river-based trade across the entire empire; others have distinctly local meaning. Either way, the canals are some of the most fascinating features in the entire collection. Start Exploring What happens if I click…

This collection contains the sheets of the Chorographic atlas ("sketch-book") of Siberia produced by Semyon Remezov in 1696-1697. The atlas was commissioned by Tsar Peter I.

This project has benefitted enormously from the efforts and insights of an incredible group of graduate and undergraduate students. Some have come to the project armed with GIS skills, others with a deep understanding of the language, culture, and history of the region. Hats off to one and all for their efforts, enthusiasm, vision, and…

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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…

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…

In 1856, a hot new item hit the shelves in Russia: a set ofplaying cards. Created by Konstantin Matveevich Gribanov, the set had an impressive title:

Album of Geographical Playing Cards of Russia, arranged on 80 cards according to maritime basin (A wonderful and instructive child's game of patience)

As you can imagine, these were not your…