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Resources and Links

Collections of Soviet maps on paper can be viewed at these libraries :
The British Library Map Room
Bodleian Library Oxford
Cambridge University Library
Trinity College Library Dublin

Free online viewing and downloading of Soviet military topographic maps can be found at
Mapstor and at Old-Maps.
Soviet topographic maps of Ukraine are at Vlasenko
Street plans of Polish cities are at mapy.eksploracja.pl
Complete (or partial) country sets are available for chargeable download at Mapstor
Information, listings and some downloads may be found at :
University of California Berkeley
UC Stanford
Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection.
Cyrillic keyboard and Russian translation can be found at Translit.ru or at Multitran.ru
Reference guide to the specifications and symbols is at Soviet Topographic Map Symbols (1958 edition)
Paper or electronic copies can be obtained from these shops and dealers:
East View Cartographics, USA
Eastmap, Estonia. Contact Alexander Lesment
Jana Seta, Latvia. Contact Aivars Beldavs
Mapstor, USA
Omni Resources, USA
TopKart, Poland
An interesting report on Soviet mapping of Sweden was published in Pravda-Online on 2 February 2003.
The Cartographic Journal, December 2006, contains a review by John Davies of the book Russian Military Mapping published by East View Cartographic.
John Cruickshank has written extensively about German and Warsaw Pact military mapping:
  • ‘German military maps of UK & Ireland of World War II', Sheetlines 69 (2004)
  • 'The Reichsamt für Landesaufnahme and the Ordnance Survey' (part 1), Sheetlines 72 (2005)
  • 'The Reichsamt für Landesaufnahme and the Ordnance Survey' (part 2), Sheetlines 73 (2005)
  • 'The Reichsamt für Landesaufnahme and the Ordnance Survey' (correction), Sheetlines 78 (2007)
  • 'Kaiser Bill thought he knew where you lived', Sheetlines 77 (2006)
  • 'German-Soviet friendship’ and the Warsaw Pact mapping of Britain and Western Europe', Sheetlines 79 (2007)
  • 'Виды из Москвы – Views from Moscow', Sheetlines 82 (2008)
  • 'Khrushchev preferred Bartholomew’s maps', Sheetlines 87 (2010)
  • 'How big a map does it take to build socialism?', Sheetlines 89 (2010)

    • A study of the Soviet mapping of Ireland by Desmond Travers appears on the Parallel History Project website
    Lists of Soviet maps of Belgium and Netherlands at Atlassen.info
    Polish military maps from 1919-1939 for comparison can be viewed and downloaded at www.mapywig.org
    Military and other historic maps, primarily of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia can be found at www.maps4u.lt
    German, Russian and other mapping of World War 2 era and much else is at John Calvin's comprehensive collection of WWII Aerial Photos and maps
    You can visit Secret Soviet bunker at Ligatne, Latvia and the British Secret Nuclear bunker at Kelvedon, Essex