- kapochunas
An 1840 Plan of Vilnius not at LithuanianMaps.com
"Plan Miasta Wilna, Po Roku 1840." Published 1842 by Wilnie Litog. Source: Cyfrowa Biblioteka Narodowa POLONA via www.mapywig.org
With the Third -- and final -- Partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, in 1795, the remaining, western, two-thirds of Vilnius Voivodeship (Vilnaus vaivadija, which had been part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413, and never a part of the Kingdom of Poland), including the city of Vilnius, was annexed by the Empire of Russia. The meeting of Austrian, Prussian and Russian representatives at which the annexation was decided was held October 24, 1795. The city became part of Vilna guberniya, an administrative area created by Russia in 1794 following the Second, 1793, Partition. Vilnius became the capital of the expanded guberniya. On December 12, 1796 Vilna and Slonim guberniyas were merged into one, called the Litva guberniya. To let the city expand, between 1799 and 1805 city walls were pulled down, leaving only the Gate of Dawn (Aušros vartai). On September 9, 1801 Litva g. was divided into the Litva-Vilna g. and the Litva-Grodno g., which lasted until 1840 -- the year this map depicts -- when Litva was dropped from both names. In 1843, an administrative reform created the Kovno g. out of seven western districts of the Vilna g., including all of Žemaitija. Meanwhile, Vilna g. got three additional districts: Vileyka and Dzisna from the Minsk g. and Lida from Grodno g. The boundaries of Vilna g. remained unchanged until World War I.
Here's a detail image of the 1840 city center, followed by two images of the legend. Enjoy!
Comments