A Cartographic “Radiography” of Bucovina at the Beginning of the Modern Period (1778)-Part I

Abstract

 “The Plan of Bucovina District in 72 sections drawn up in 1773, 774 and 775 (…) after geometrical survey (...)” belongs to the category of the so-called “Austrian Joseph’s
maps”, made during the reign of Joseph the 2nd, who ruled together with the monarch during
the period 1765-1780 and then king of Austria (1780-1790).
After having studied the volume at the National Archives of Bucharest (number C
VII 1), the author makes a general presentation of the map, and then, on the basis of some
reasons extracted from the map itself, he comes with the hypothesis that it was finished in
1778, year that is written on the upper left hand corner of the title page of the plan and of each
of the 72 sections, while the period mentioned in the title refers only to the time when the
survey was done.
It is a polychrome map, result of a very meticulous work, with a high aesthetic
quality and very easy to read. However, it has been cited only a few times in the specialty
literature, unfortunately very little used and never described in detail.
The high scale (1:28.800) allowed the representation of numerous elements:
landscape, hydrographic system, vegetation, human settlements (up to the level of houses!),
ways of communication, borders, toponymy. We therefore, can state that this map is a minute
presentation of the general framework of Bucovina at the end of the XVIIIth century, and that
it is very useful in geographic, historical and toponymical research.