Old Map of Warsaw

Historical Background

Pierre Ricaud de Tirregaille’s plan of Warsaw was published in 1762, towards the end of the reign of Augustus III, King of Poland and Elector of Saxony. It records a city extending well beyond its historic centre, with palaces, gardens, churches, roads and outlying settlements spread along the western bank of the Vistula.

Map Details

• Original title: Plan de Varsovie
• Cartographer: Pierre Ricaud de Tirregaille
• Engraver: Gottlob Jakob Marstaller
• Date: 1762
• Area shown: Warsaw, the River Vistula and Praga
• Format: Engraved city plan with historical colouring
• Additional content: Seventeen architectural views and a panorama from the Vistula
• Patronage: Survey prepared by order of Franciszek Bieliński, Grand Marshal of the Crown

Warsaw beside the Vistula

The Vistula crosses the lower portion of the central plan, separating the main city from Praga on the opposite bank. Islands, river channels and stretches of undeveloped shoreline are carefully delineated, while boats in the lower panorama emphasise the river’s importance for transport and commerce.

The densely built Old Town occupies a relatively small area close to the river. Beyond it, Warsaw spreads out along roads leading north, south and west. This dispersed pattern reflects the city’s numerous suburbs, estates and privately governed jurisdictions, many of which developed outside the older municipal boundaries.

The Saxon Axis

One of the most conspicuous features west of the historic centre is the formal arrangement of the Saxon Palace and Saxon Garden. Its straight avenues, geometric planting and broad open spaces contrast sharply with the irregular streets of the Old Town.

The plan was produced while Warsaw remained closely connected with the Saxon court of Augustus III. Royal and aristocratic residences occupy substantial sites throughout the city, demonstrating the importance of courtly patronage in Warsaw’s eighteenth-century expansion.

Seventeen Architectural Views

The central map is framed by individual elevations of 17 important buildings. These include royal, aristocratic and civic residences, shown as carefully drawn architectural portraits rather than simple map symbols.

Several of the buildings represented were subsequently altered, rebuilt or destroyed. The surrounding views therefore give the engraving particular historical value, preserving the appearance of important Warsaw landmarks before the upheavals and destruction of later centuries.

The Panorama from the River

Running beneath the plan is a long panorama entitled Vue de Varsovie du côté de la Vistule—a view of Warsaw from the Vistula side. Church towers, palace roofs and the varied skyline rise beyond the river, while vessels and figures animate the foreground.

This lower view allows the city to be understood from two perspectives at once: the plan explains its streets and estates from above, while the panorama records how Warsaw appeared to someone approaching across the river.

A Record of Eighteenth-Century Warsaw

The combination of street plan, architectural elevations and river panorama makes Tirregaille’s work much more than a conventional town map. It records Warsaw shortly before the election of Stanisław August Poniatowski in 1764 and before the political upheavals that eventually led to the partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.