Jeziorki on old maps

Many thanks to KG for sending me links to Warsaw's map archives (click here for whole lot). I have been poring over these in great detail. Many thanks also to the guys at Trasbus for scanning and uploading this phenomenal wealth of Varsoviana. From all the maps archived, I've selected a some showing how Jeziorki has developed and changed over the years. Above: The first map of Warsaw to extend as far south as Jeziorki. Note - this map, like the map below, is oriented with north the left. Ul. Sarabandy was called ul. Ogrodowa back then. A narrow gauge railway line runs the length of ul. Puławska (more on this in a future post).

Above: The rendition of Jeziorki on the map from 1962 is identical to the 1961 edition (not shown). Ul. Ogrodowa has been renamed Sarabandy (General Ogrodov having fallen out of favour with the Politburo). Ul. Trombity and ul. Baletowa have both been given a name, but note no station at Dawidy yet on the railway line to Radom. Also note name St. (stacja/station) Jeziorki Warszawskie.

Above: 1970 and the narrow gauge railway terminates at W-wa Dąbrówka (wąsk), no longer running up Puławska as far as the Dworzec Południowy (where the Wilanowska bus terminus is). Meanwhile, Dawidy's acquired a station, and Dawidy Poduchowne has been moved across the track. Note too ul. Żmijewska, branching off ul. Karczunkowska, rather than running east-west from ul. Pozytywki (as it does today). All railway stations within Warsaw's boundaries are now prefixed "W-wa", so St. Jeziorki Warszawskie becomes W-wa Jeziorki.

Above: 1978 and Dawidy Poduchowne has moved right into Jeziorki. Dąbrówka has been shunted across to the other side of ul. Puławska. Indeed, there's no such place as Jeziorki on this map. The narrow gauge railway has gone, being replaced by the no. 51 trolleybus (Wilanowska to Piaseczno). Note the new development between Dawidowska and Karczunkowska - streets branching off ul. Nawłocka. Not particularly well mapped, but then Warsaw's cartographers did not have access to NASA satellite imaging.

Above: The last map from the communist era - 1989. Only eight years before the Dembinski family would turn up in this part of Warsaw. Again, no sign of Jeziorki - the area is clearly marked Dawidy Poduchowne. Notice also in all five maps the size of the lake at Jeziorki - I don't know when drainage of this area was effected, but it's never been that size in the 11 years we've lived in the area.

On all these maps, the Rampa is noticeable by its absence. This is easily explained. Communist-era maps left out industrial and military objects for security reasons - no Huta Warszawa steelworks, no Okęcie airport (!), even though NATO knew damn well where these objects were located.

Map makers since the dawn of civilisation have been applying fanciful artifice to cover up for lack of knowledge. "Here be dragons". "The edge of the world". "Terra Incognita" (well, some honesty for a change). "Dawidy Poduchowne". Now what was this about? An attempt by Gmina Mokotów (as it then was) to liquidate Jeziorki? Or just a cartographer's mistake, amplified?

Since the late 1990s, the city hall has tried to make sense of local names. We are now Jeziorki Połudnowe, up to ul. Baletowa.

This time last year:
Spirit of place, Jeziorki
Unseasonable warmth, beastly mud
Zamienie as it was, with barracks and labs