Map of the Volga and Kama rivers showing the steamship wharves of the Samolët Company
What it is
This map was produced by the Military-Topographical Depot of the Russian Empire (lithography by A. Stepanov). The original edition was approved and published in 1860; this edition, apparently with slight corrections, was published in 1862. It shows the locations of the 59 wharves used by the Samolët Steamship Company, which operated along the Volga and Kama rivers between 1863 and 1917.Why it Matters
- The map gives the distances between wharves, which is useful to those interested in such things.
- The map shows the relationship between steamship travel, railways, and roads. (See, for example, the black line marking the Volga-Don railway - which was very recently converted from horse-drawn to engine-powered rail when this map was made - from Tsaritsyn to Golubinskaya in the south.
- A note on price just outside the neatline at the bottom gives us information about the accessibility (to the public) of the map.
Click here to go to the Imperiia Gallery page for full citation information and a high-resolution, dynamic zoom option. Below you will find an annotated version of the map. Move your cursor over the image to find annotated/translated text. Use your "control" key to zoom. You might prefer to click here to open a fullscreen view.