Poland Gazetteers

Definition
A gazetteer is a geographical dictionary or index. Depending on the gazetteer, It may contain information about locations:


 * their jurisdictions (voivoideship, powiat, county, province, etc.)
 * location of civil registration offices (for birth, marriage, and death certificates)
 * parish churches or synagogues
 * population numbers
 * postal facilities
 * communication facilities (telephone, telegraph, and so on)
 * local commerce, agriculture, manufacturing works, canals, docks, and railroad stations
 * schools, colleges, and universities

Gazetteers are produced to cover a country generally, and cover the locations as of the date they are published. Poland's boundaries frequently changed as different parts of Poland came under the control of various countries, usually Prussia, Russia, and Austria. Names of towns can change to the language of the controlling country. This map shows arguably the longest lasting partition of Poland--from the end of the Napoleonic wars to the World Wars (1815-1918/1945). The gazetteers shown in this article are organized by these regions, and then by post-World War, and modern times.

Prussian Poland
These gazetteers deal with the parts of modern Poland that were under the Prussia before World War I: Brandenburg, East Prussia (Ostpreussen), Posen, Pomerania (Pommern), Silesia (Schlesien), and West Prussia (Westpreussen).

Meyers Gazetteer
Meyer’s 1871 Gazetteer: Prussian areas as they existed in 1871. Clickable to the 1871 German Empire map. [[Media:1-Meyers Gazetteer Online-Instruction.pdf|Instruction]], [[Media:2-Meyers Gazetteer Online-Activity.pdf|Activity]], [[Media:3-Meyers Gazetteer Online-Answer Key.pdf|Answer Key.]] Abbreviations: [[Media:1-Meyers Abbreviations-Instruction.pdf|Instruction]], [[Media:2-Meyers Abbreviations-Assignment.pdf|Activity]], [[Media:3-Meyers Abbreviations-Answer Key.pdf|Answer Key.]]

Kartenmeister
Kartenmeister: Prussian Poland as it existed in 1905. It gives German and Polish names, Catholic and Lutheran parish names, and civil registration office. Clickable to Google Maps. [[Media:1-Kartenmeister-Instruction.pdf|Instruction]], [[Media:2-Kartenmeister-Activity.pdf|Activity]], [[Media:3-Kartenmeister-Answer Key.pdf|Answer Key.]]

1905 Prussian Gazetteer
1905 Prussian Gazetteer (Gemeindelexikon für das Königreich Preußen): Gives Catholic, Lutheran, and other religious parishes, and Standesamt (civil registrar). "How to" Guide: [[Media:1-1905 Prussia Gemeindelexikon-Instruction.pdf|Instruction]], [[Media:2-1905 Prussia Gemeindelexikon-Activity.pdf|Activity]], [[Media:3-1905 Prussia Gemeindelexikon-Answer Key.pdf|Answer Key.]]
 * Volume 1. Ostpreußen
 * Volume 2. Westpreußen
 * Volume 3. Berlin und Brandenburg
 * Volume 4. Pommern
 * Volume 5. Posen
 * Volume 6. Schlesien.

Gemeindelexikon für das Königreich Preußen


 * Gemeindelexikon für das Königreich Preußen. Königlichen Statistischen Landesamts. Ostpreussen, Westpreussen, Brandenburg, Posen, Schlesien, Pommern. (6 volumes) (1907). FHL book 943 E5kp This set of gazetteers has volumes for each of the Prussian provinces arranged by Kreis (district) with an index at the end.
 * Alphabetisches Ortsnamenverzeichnis der Deutschen Ostgebiete unter fremder Verwaltung, Band 11. V. 1. 1955]

Posen / Poznań
1902 gazetteer for the Grand Duchy of Posen (Greater Poland) showing Catholic and Lutheran parishes: Księga adresowa wszystkich miejscowości w Wielkim Księstwie Poznańskiem:

Śląsk /Silesia / Schlesien
Whole Schlesien: 1845 - [http://www.sbc.org.pl/dlibra/docmetadata?id=808&from=publication Alphabetisch-statistisch- topographische Uebersicht der Dörfer, Flecken, Städte und andern Orte der Königl. Preuss. Provinz Schlesien] 1876 - Handbuch für die Provinz Schlesien1885 - Gemeindelexikon für die Provinz Schlesien1901 - Schlesisches Ortschafts-Verzeichniß1941 - Schlesisches Ortschaftsverzeichniss

Opole / Oppeln area: 1860 - Ortschafts- und Entfernungs-Tabelle des Regierungsbezirks Oppeln 1886 - Ortschafts- und Entfernungs-Tabelle des Regierungsbezirks Oppeln

Russian Poland
Several gazetteers can help with the Kingdom of Poland or Russian Poland. See the FamilySearch Wiki page for Russia gazetteers for more information.

1877 gazetteer, Kingdom of Poland
1877 gazetteer for the Kingdom of Poland. The Kingdom of Poland is also known as Congress Poland and was part of Russian Poland.


 * Skorowidz Królestwa Polskiego vol. 1 A-N
 * Skorowidz Królestwa Polskiego vol. 2 O-Ż

Spiski Gazetteer
The Spiski gazetteer does not cover the Kingdom of Poland, but does cover most other areas of the Russian Empire. You must know the province or guberniya for your location to use the Spiski gazetteer. To find links to your guberniya, see the FamilySearch Wiki article [|Russia gazetteers].

Spiski Gazetteer: Compiled during the Russian Empire time,  organized geographically rather than alphabetically,  in Russian. [[Media:1-Spiski Gazetteer-Instruction.pdf|Instruction]], [[Media:2-Spiski Gazetteer-Activity.pdf|Activity]], [[Media:3-Spiski Gazetteer-Answer Key.pdf|Answer Key]]

RGN: Russisches Geographisches Namenbuch
The best comprehensive gazetteer of all localities in Imperial Russia is by Vasmer, Max. Russisches Geographisches Namenbuch [Russian Geographical Namebook]. Wiesbaden: Harassowitz, 1964-1981. Nachtrag (Supplement), 1988. 11 vols. (FHL INTL Book 947 E5r). Spiski naselennykh Mest Rossiiski Imperii were the primary source for much of the data. This set of books is referred to as the RGN and includes eleven volumes plus the Kartenband (maps).

Localities are listed in the Cyrillic alphabet but the gazetteer is still usable to non-Russian readers because the descriptions are in German. The pre-1917 administrative units of guberniya (G.) and uyezd (Kr.) are given. The German word for uyezd is Kreis. If there are several localities in the same guberniya, the guberniya is indicated only after the first locality in the guberniya. It is not repeated for each subsequent locality listed.

RGN (Russisches Geographisches Namenbuch): Compiled after World War II, based on the Spiski Gazetteer below. written in Russian, German, and Polish. [[Media:1-RGN Gazetteer-Instruction.pdf|Instruction]], [[Media:2-RGN Gazetteer-Activity.pdf|Activity]], [[Media:3-RGN Gazetteer-Answer Key.pdf|Answer Key]]

Austrian Poland
The Austrian partition was called Galizien in German and Galicia in English.

Gesher Galicia - Town Locator
Though focused on Jewish records, this gazetteer should include all towns in Galicia, including Roman Catholic and Greek Catholic parish information: Gesher Galicia -- Galician Town Locator (1900)

Austrian gazetteer: Galicia
Gemeindelexikon – Galizien (volume 12): Contains information about population, including breakdown by religion.


 * Genealogical Gazetteer of Galicia: includes the location of the Catholic parish andGreek Catholic, Lutheran, and Jewish congregations. Written in Polish, German, and Ukrainian.
 * RGN (Russisches Geographisches Namenbuch): Compiled after World War II, based on the Spiski Gazetteer below. written in Russian, German, and Polish.  [[Media:1-RGN Gazetteer-Instruction.pdf|Instruction]], [[Media:2-RGN Gazetteer-Activity.pdf|Activity]], [[Media:3-RGN Gazetteer-Answer Key.pdf|Answer Key]]
 * Gemeindelexikon Der Im Reichsrate Vertretenen Königreiche and Länder. V. 12 (1900) FHL book 943.6 E5g. based on the 1900 census of Austria-Hungary; arranged by district with an index of both German and non-German versions of place-names. Between the main text and the index is an appendix which indicates the location of the church vital records office.

Skorowidz Gazetteer (1930s)

 * Skorowidz Gazetteer

Lists type of location (city, town, village, settlement, etc.), jurisdictions, and church parishes. [[Media:1-Skorowidz Online-Instruction.pdf|Instruction]], [[Media:2-Skorowidz Online-Assignment.pdf|Activity]], [[Media:3-Skorowidz Online-Answer Key.pdf|Answer Key]]

This gazetteer uses the Voivodeships (Provinces) in place in the Administrative division of the Polish People's Republic, under the section "Poland's voivodeships 1975-98 (49 voivodeships". You will need to use the map in that article to compare it to the more modern maps and determine the current and 1967 voivodeship.

Słownik Gazetteer (1880-1895)
Lists detailed physical descriptions, population, jurisdictions, and location of parishes. The gazetteer can be accessed online in many places, including the following:


 * Słownik Geograficzny Gazetteer
 * ICM website
 * provincial library of Małopolski in Kraków

For help in interpreting the entry, look through the Glossary.. Look here for some examples of entries translated into English.

Clickable link to the gazetteer:

1929 Polish Business Directory - Town Index ,An index to more than 34,000 locations in inter-war Poland, with links to directory pages for each city, town and village.

Spis Gazetteer (1968)

 * Spis Gazetteer, Volume 1 - A-M
 * Spis Gazetteer, Volume 2 - N-Ż

Lists jurisdictions. location of civil registration offices. Spis Gazetteer of Poland Wiki Article, gives abbreviations.

Translated Headings for Spis Gazetteer

Mapa Szukacz

 * Mapa.Szukacz.pl with jurisdictions, population, postal codes

Mapa.Szukacz--in addition to the map, this infobox appears.