Historical GIS Resources Thread

[Helvetti]

Brandenburg Kreise

Digitized from the Meßtischblatt Topographical Sheets at 1:25000. Counties are circa 1900.
(Update: Made small corrections.)

 

[NeonHydroxide]

Rumelia, 1880s

So called because it includes Ottoman sanjaks but also other things, and with the state of the sources I can't pin it to a specific year. There is a notes field with explanations.

The work of digitizing Ottoman provinces is an absolute PITA because of low quality contemporary cartography and a lot of Balkan nationalists talking out of their rear ends. It has been done at least twice already, once by and academic, and once by a Reddit user, but neither of them posted sources, so hopefully this will break the cycle. As always, there is a lot of uncertainty in the exact borders, especially because this was a period where there was a lot of administrative reorganization. Please let me know if you notice a mistake.

 

[felixs]

Rumelia, 1880s
View attachment 864272

So called because it includes Ottoman sanjaks but also other things, and with the state of the sources I can't pin it to a specific year. There is a notes field with explanations.

The work of digitizing Ottoman provinces is an absolute PITA because of low quality contemporary cartography and a lot of Balkan nationalists talking out of their rear ends. It has been done at least twice already, once by and academic, and once by a Reddit user, but neither of them posted sources, so hopefully this will break the cycle. As always, there is a lot of uncertainty in the exact borders, especially because this was a period where there was a lot of administrative reorganization. Please let me know if you notice a mistake.

Looking great 👍

 

[NeonHydroxide]

Central Europe, 1815 - German Confederation plus Italy and Poland

Derived in part from CensusMosaic and GeoLahra files linked in the main post, in part through the same old fiddly georeferencing and tracing. The German statelets were more in flux in this period than you might think, and if details matter you should double check before using this file for a date besides 1815, as there are some little states which were dissolved and reorganized in the 1820s-40s before the big shakeups. As always let me know if you find any mistakes.

 

[OxSpace]

Central Europe, 1815 - German Confederation plus Italy and Poland
View attachment 866181

Derived in part from CensusMosaic and GeoLahra files linked in the main post, in part through the same old fiddly georeferencing and tracing. The German statelets were more in flux in this period than you might think, and if details matter you should double check before using this file for a date besides 1815, as there are some little states which were dissolved and reorganized in the 1820s-40s before the big shakeups. As always let me know if you find any mistakes.

Bavaria's border are again wrong in another 1815 map. Bavaria had kept several Napoleonic-era territories past the Congress of Vienna such as Salzburg and the Innviertel till a treaty with Austria in 1816.

Bavarian districts of Gersfeld, Orb, Kaulsdorf, and a small part of Erfurt are missing from Bavaria.

There are several Bohemian exclaves in Saxony.

Several Lippe exclaves are missing.

In 1817, the parishes of Damme, Neuenkirchen in its current state and Goldenstedt on the left of the Bunte would fall to Oldenburg, the remaining parts of Neuenkirchen and Goldenstedt and the entire parish of Twiftringen to Hanover. Previously they were essentially condominiums.

It looks like Herrschaft Schmalkalden is missing from Hesse-Kassel from the picture.

There were several Franco-German border corrections I talked about in another thread.

Anhalt was not united at this point.

The former Napoleonic Principality of Leyen was Austrian till 1819.

 

[NeonHydroxide]

Bavaria's border are again wrong in another 1815 map. Bavaria had kept several Napoleonic-era territories past the Congress of Vienna such as Salzburg and the Innviertel till a treaty with Austria in 1816.

Bavarian districts of Gersfeld, Orb, Kaulsdorf, and a small part of Erfurt are missing from Bavaria.

There are several Bohemian exclaves in Saxony.

Several Lippe exclaves are missing.

In 1817, the parishes of Damme, Neuenkirchen in its current state and Goldenstedt on the left of the Bunte would fall to Oldenburg, the remaining parts of Neuenkirchen and Goldenstedt and the entire parish of Twiftringen to Hanover. Previously they were essentially condominiums.

It looks like Herrschaft Schmalkalden is missing from Hesse-Kassel from the picture.

There were several Franco-German border corrections I talked about in another thread.

Anhalt was not united at this point.

The former Napoleonic Principality of Leyen was Austrian till 1819.

Thank you for this information! Indeed my source maps were incorrect. I will make corrections and re-upload when I return to office.

 

[Helvetti]

Thuringian States

Digitized from the Meßtischblatt Topographical Sheets at 1:25000. The state boundaries are as they were around 1900.
Some territorial anomalies (particularly around Saxony in the east) may not be exact. Do let me know of any mistakes.

 

[Helvetti]

Rheinprovinz

Digitized from the Meßtischblatt Topographical Sheets at 1:25000. The county boundaries are as they were circa 1896. As always, do let me know of any mistakes.