The scholarship will cover the financing of a month-long research trip to London in 2026, aimed at implementing a research project entitled: "Analiza źródeł kartograficznych w zbiorach archiwalnych Instytutu Józefa Piłsudskiego w Londynie i ich znaczenie w badaniach historyczno-geograficznych" [Analysis of cartographic sources in the archival collections of the Jozef Piłsudski Institute in London and their significance in historical and geographical research].
The Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences disburses the Lanckoroński Foundation and the De Brzezie Lanckoroński Foundation scholarships for research conducted in Rome, Vienna, London and other centres of learning in Europe. The scholarships are awarded annually by a Commission at the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences (PAU), headed by Professor Andrzej Borowski. The Commission comprises two members of the PAU, a secretary on behalf of the PAU and representatives of five universities (Jagiellonian University, University of Warsaw, University of Wrocław, Adam Mickiewicz University and Nicolaus Copernicus University), as well as a representative of both Foundations, appointed by their presidents, in an advisory capacity.
The approved research project fits into the scientific achievements of historical geography, for which old maps and plans, which allow for capturing the transformation of the landscape, including the development of the settlement network, changes in spatial development, and former political and administrative divisions. are a fundamental source for reconstruction research. Therefore, there is a need for an in-depth search of cartographic sources, including the identification and compilation of collections that are not available in the country but cover Polish territory in terms of space.
Polish memorabilia in the form of collections of maps and plans constitute a valuable element of the archival resources of the Jozef Piłsudski Institute in London from an educational point of view. They have not yet been digitised and are little known to Polish researchers, and their inventory is not available in archival search engines.
The maps of Poland and Europe donated in 1992 by Tadeusz Pawłowicz, former president of the Piłsudski Institute in New York are of particular value in this context. They form a collection of unique works dating from the 16th to the 18th centuries.
The aim of the research will therefore be to conduct a detailed analysis of these unique works from the modern era in terms of their diversity, taking into account their historical background and origins, identification of the author, geographical content, physical parameters, handwritten descriptions, legibility and degree of preservation. Determination of the scope of usefulness and possibilities of using old maps, which constitute the Institute's archival resources, in geographical and historical analyses, taking into account the aspect of reconstruction of the natural, cultural and historical-political landscape will be another very important objective of the planned research.
