Poland has not been one of Europe’s luckiest countries.
It’s gone from being the largest country in Europe to being wiped off the map, not once but several times.
The map below traces the history of Poland’s borders from 1635 right through to the present day.
Watch as the borders shrink from their peak during the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth to the partitions of Poland at the end of the 18th century to the massive shift west during the 20th.
Here’s a bit more background about some of the key years listed in the map above:
- 1635: Treaty of Stuhmsdorf, favourable to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
- 1655: The Deluge Swedish and Russian invasions of Poland.
- 1657: Treaty of Wehlau and Bromberg the Hohenzollern dynasty of Brandenburg given hereditary sovereignty in the Duchy of Prussia.
- 1660: Treaty of Oliva, the end of Swedish involvement in the Deluge.
- 1667: End of Russo-Polish War and the end of the Deluge.
- 1672: Treaty of Buchach, ceded Podolia to the Ottomans.
- 1686: Eternal Peace Treaty of 1686, reconfirms peace with Russia. The peace itself would prove not to be eternal.
- 1699: Treaty of Karlowitz Podolia returned to Poland from Ottomans.
- 1772: First Partition of Poland
- 1793: Second Partition of Poland
- 1795: Third Partition of Poland – Poland disappears from the map.
- 1807: Duchy of Warsaw created.
- 1809: Battle of Raszyn, results in an expanded Duchy of Warsaw.
- 1815: Congress Poland created following Napoleonic Wars. While de jure an independent state, it was in personal union with the Russian Empire. Thus, it was de facto a Russian client state until 1867, when it was formally absorbed into the empire.
- 1815: Grand Duchy of Posen also created following the Napoleonic wars and was a Prussian client state.
- 1815: Free City of Kraków also created.
- 1831: Start of direct Russian military rule in the Congress of Poland, following November Uprising.
- 1846: Kraków Uprising failure results in Free City of Kraków being annexed to Austria.
- 1848: Grand Duchy of Posen downgraded to a Prussian province following the failure of the Greater Poland Uprising. Poland once again ceases to exist.
- 1867: Austria-Hungary created following Austria defeat in the Austro-Prussian war.
- 1871: German Empire proclaimed in the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles.
- 1914: Outbreak of World War One.
- 1917: Russian Revolution begins.
- 1918: World War One ends and West Ukrainian People’s Republic declared.
- 1919: New Polish state created as part of the Treaty of Versailles. The new state includes most of Posen, Polish Corridor, part of eastern Upper Silesia. Poland also seizes territory from the West Ukrainian People’s Republic as part of the short Polish–Ukrainian War.
- 1920: Free City of Danzig created.
- 1920: Polish–Lithuanian War results in the creation of the short lived Republic of Central Lithuania.
- 1920: Conference of Ambassadors results in minor territorial exchanges with Czechoslovakia.
- 1920: Battle of Warsaw results in a deceive Polish victory against the Soviet Union, saving Poland.
- 1921: Peace of Riga ends the Soviet-Polish War, ending Poland’s conflicts with its neighbours.
- 1922: Republic of Central Lithuania becomes part of Poland.
- 1924: Further territorial changes between Czechoslovakia and Poland.
- 1938: Czech half of Cieszyn, was annexed by Poland in 1938 following the Munich Agreement and First Vienna Award.
- 1939: Poland ceases to exist once again after being partitioned between Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia at the outbreak of World War Two.
- 1945: Poland re-emerges on the map following the end of World War Two as the People’s Republic of Poland, a Soviet satellite state. As a result of extensive territorial changes, Poland moves several hundred kilometres to the west, losing its former eastern territories to the Soviet Union.
- 1945-1975: Minor territorial changes between Poland and its communist neighbours.
- 1989: People’s Republic of Poland comes to an end and Poland becomes a democracy.
- 2002: Minor border adjustments with Slovakia.
If you’d like to learn more about the history of Poland have a look at the following books:
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Rahadian Pratama Putra says
Bad Luck Poland..:(
Arkadiusz Cierniak says
You forgot about Greater Poland uprising in 1918, one of four polish successful uprisings. But at all, very good and honest article.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_Poland_uprising_(1918–1919)
Wiktor Janowycz says
There is a piece of communist propaganda in a part of this pretty fair description. The recovery of Polish Zaolzie (Cieszyn), taken bruttally by Czech forces in January 1919, against previous agreement, wasn’t a part of Munich treaty. Poland did not participate in this shameful agreement, but facing another losing of territory lived mostly by Poles decided to request a transfer of this land from Czech government. The request was approved and the land was passed to Poland in peaceful condition, which made Hitler’s angry. Some historians suppose he may want to use Zaolzie as an argument on the discussions about The Corridor and Gdansk after taking the Czech territory. So, despite of hard situation of Czech state, Poland switched directly to Czechs, not making decisions above their heads. After the war, communist Polish army entered the land, when freeing it from Germans, but was confronted with Czech forces resistance. Despite of Polish majority Stalin cut the conflict deciding to pass the land to Czechoslovakia as the situation was at the edge of war. Then Czechoslovakia started renationalization of Zaolzie to remove Polish culture and the effects are visible today – minor part of the locals consider themselves as Polish.
Wiktor Janowycz says
Well, being located between Russia and Germany, probably the most aggresive countries of last millenium sometimes was really hard. It’s difficult to imagine how seriously they ruined our nation and country during last war.. 1/6 killed citizens is just a part of story…
Roman Konstantinov says
But before that Commonwealth did great conquests of neighboring nations. The same Russia was basically eating a lot of it for most of 10-14th century. Afterwards, Russia was luckier in good leaders and by the time of 16th, pendulum was moving in another direction (basically after it nearly lost everything in Polish occupation of Moscow). So I would say those two were nearly identical in their scope of operations. It was the fact that Russia had basically free land estate (after the Golden Horde ate itself) to the East is the only thing that helped it “win” (arguable term) this millenia old conflict. If only Moscow occupation was succesfull, Poland would have been most likely be the biggest country in the world right now.
And Germany? Agressive country? Before 19th century they only existed as a huge, but 100% defensive Holy Roman Empire. Their wars were small wars between different duchies.
Cezary Spiż says
100% defensive Holy Roman Empire? Read about the history of Polabian Slavs!
S. B. Johnson says
Love that GIF. It would be interesting to see one surrounding Ukraine, or with permanent locations of Warsaw, L’vov, and Kiev so one could keep a rough idea of the modern boundaries.
Patricia Ross says
Brilliant Maps indeed!
If accurate, safe to imagine that few, if any, Americans are familiar with these shifting borders in Europe, especially before WWI and WWII.
Too much history to absorb? That depends! Without greater effort to explain shifting boundaries, disappearing & reappearing countries, cannot blame the United States and Canada for total neglect of a part of the world they are not familiar with. Who knew?
The American view of stactic boundaries (as they have had mostly) is the one that arises from ignorance of world affairs that obviously has enormous impact over the centuries. Global affairs in the dark?
Would love to see each country who claims sovereignty to share in funding a set of global facts distributed to each nation-state, the schools, and colleges, and institutions like NATO, the Unitd Nations, and any other nonprofit who seeks to benefit from pride of place.
Pride of place depends upon the people who live their and knowledge of its history. No political, economic, or war decision should ever be made for a people by its government without a history of those with whom the planet is shared, and those upon whom shared responsibility is (and should be) a fact of life, acknowledged, with the facts & maps to prove it. Sovereignty is too important to be hidden from view.
Kathryn Farrimond says
I agree with your comment. I think is is very important to see historical perspective. The series of maps demonstrated tthe border changes clearly.
I would have liked some names of towns and I would loke some accounts of Polish citizens and wondered whatt their affilations would be. Language and prosperity form affiliations.
Dianne Janczewski says
I have scoured the internet and no where can I find a flowing chart, similar to your maps, that show the major cities in Poland – Warsaw, Karkow, Lwow, Posnan, Gdansk, etc. and where they were at what period. Any idea where I can find that?
Steven Literski says
Hello looking for where may late grandad was from awful story about his life at the start of WW2
He signed his declaration in London being from Poland Kronski Mlyn I’ve spoke to lots of people who are Polish families without maps , but I just can’t find it…please help