Brussels International Map Collectors' Circle
Ten days spent in Moscow gave me the opportunity to visit three places where maps are displayed: two museums and a temporary exhibition. I have no knowledge of Russian but I made some effort in the direction of the Cyrillic alphabet. In a few situations it is sufficient to understand the nature of the presented items.
In the Historical Museum of Moscow (МУЗЕЙ ИСТОРИИ ГОРОДА МОСКВЫ) a dozen maps of the city are on display including Moscovia Urbs Metropolis Totius Russiae Albae dated 1610 with the name of Sigismundi III in the cartouche, a XVIth map headed MOSCAVW, a XVIIth century map of Kitaegrad and Tsargrad, a map headed ΜΟСКВЫ dated 1739, maps of Moscow dated 1812, 1813, 1856, a city map dated 1916 headed ГОРОДА ΜΟСКВЫ.
The different Moscow maps show the evolution of the city. The early maps present a city surrounded by walls just at the confluent of two rivers; the Moskva flows along the southern side and the Neglina flows along the northwestern fortifications. On a 1598 map a ditch filled with water appears on the eastern wall. A 1613 map shows three concentric ramparts and a Kremlin containing no more city houses, only palaces and churches. On a 1739 map the city has definitely expanded outside the walls.
The Historical Museum (ГОСУДАРСТВЕ ННЫЙ ИСТОРИЧЕСКИЙ МУЗЕЙ) presents a few maps: Noteburg, lake Ladoga and river Neva, the city of Riga during a siege, Novgorod, a Blaue globe of 1690 dia. approx. 1,80 m under restoration, maps of the Empire and also a nice little spherical box with a globe inside as well as some topographical instruments like a sundial with a compass.History and maps: Russian cartography three centuries ago (approximate translation of ИСТОРИЯИ КАРТА: ТРИ ВЕКА РОССИЙСКОЙ КАРТОГРАФИИ) is an exhibition housed in the above-mentioned museum. According to the information received, it will remain open till June 2001. A 12-sheet pamphlet in Russian is available at the desk.
Approximately forty-five maps and one globe are on display. All of them are from the XVIIIth century. The visitor will find manuscripts and printed maps of Moscow, St Petersbourg, the Caspian Sea, the Gulf of Bothnia, the Pont Euxin, the Sea of Azov as well as maps of Europe and the Atlantic ocean, maps of sea combats, a Plan de bataille in der Moldau, a 1787 sea chart of Aleutians Islands with soundings, a map of the siege of Ismaël, now Izmayil at the head of the Danube delta, a 1793 route map of the Empire with distances between stopping places, a 1793 map of the Caucasus Mountains with very fine shading for the ground surface, a 1783 and a 1800 Empire atlases, a Kamchatkan map, different maps of the course of the Volga river, a Konstantino Polia map, etc.
Many aspects excited my curiosity: the different longitude references, names of Western Europe places e.g. ЛЮТТИХЪ for Luttich or ЛЬЕЖ for Liège, wind roses with N, S, W and O mentions and others with Н, Ѕ, В and О mentions, various filigrees, decorated cartouches, etc.
Let me add that a 2001 calendar, 42 x 60 cm, with reproductions of twelve maps from 1549 to 1999, is for sale in museums and important bookshops.
Modern Russian maps are present in the bookshops: maps of the country of course but also maps of Europe and the World with toponyms in Russian (unusual for me in this case). Maps of the XXth century are for sale in the Izmaïlovo open-air market, sort of marché aux puces.
by Pierre C. Parmentier