"Poland and the States united to the Crown of Poland as they are now constituted together form one of the largest and most substantial parts of Europe. They are different states which have been subjected to different princes, and the customs of their inhabitants and governments have varied greatly; in the distant past they were also inhabited by different peoples, about whom Tacitus still doubted whether they should be counted among the Germans or among the Sarmatians". So begins the "Description Geographique de tous les Estats, Provinces et Pays sujets à la Couronne de Pologne..." - the first geographical atlas of the Republic of Poland.

The author of the manuscript, detailed description of the lands of Poland (chorography) and the 15 maps of the Commonwealth and its provinces included in this work was the French cartographer Nicolas Sanson Senior (1600-1667). The atlas was created between 1663 and 1666 and is now stored in the archives of the Musée Condé at Château de Chantilly.

Prepared by Wojciech Walczak, Karol Łopatecki and Andrew B. Pernal and published by the Polonica Institute in the scientific series 'Studies and Materials', the publication in a beautiful graphic setting presents the circumstances of the atlas's creation, profiles of its creators and historical background. It also contains the original text of the atlas in the form of a facsimile of the manuscript and 17th-century maps, as well as a contemporary edition of these materials. The content of the atlas has been translated into Polish and provided with extensive scholarly commentary. In addition, the book includes an English translation of the source text. It is the result of a long-term research and publishing project.

The publication coincided with Poland's renewed presidency of the EU Council in 2025.

Author: Wojciech Walczak, Karol Łopatecki, Andrew B. Pernal

Edited by: Iwona Hardej

Translation: Anna Artemiuk (English)
Maria Nowak (French)

Year of publication: 2024

Number of pages: 558 pp.

Binding: hardback

Format: 235 x 305 mm

ISBN: 978-83-66172-86-9