The Imperiia Project

Gardens of Crimea


About the Data

This dataset allows you to explore the gardens of Crimea in the early days of imperial rule. It describes the locations of the villages with which the gardens were associated as well as the attributes (area, owner type, garden type) of each garden. Information about trees and vines is available for a subset of the gardens. The shapefiles include location data for 73 of the 89 villages listed in the registers (the others are "lost" or cannot be associated with known places with confidence), as well as location data for the orchards and gardens. 

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About the Primary Source

This dataset is sourced from a series of registers of newly-acquired state properties. Each register focuses on gardens left behind by Tatars, Greeks, and/or Armenians and claimed by the Russian state to be leased out. Some reports contain detailed accounting of the quantity and type of fruit trees and grape vines cultivated in each garden.

Historical Context

Ten years after Catherine II annexed Crimea, Russian imperial officials undertook a survey of some of the most valuable properties in the newly-acquired territory: its gardens. The survey focused on orchards and vineyards that had been abandoned by their owners (Tatars and Greeks) and claimed as state property. The work was carried out between 1791 and 1793 and this dataset presents the results. It describes 809 orchards and 332 vineyards located mainly on the southern coast and along a trio of rivers flowing northwest out of the mountains.  

Project Team

Kelly O'Neill

Publication Date

August 5, 2022

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