Urban network in Poland during last millennium

Abstract

The article attempts to find in the history of Poland facts and processes that influenced the contemporary shape of the Polish urban network. In comparison with other parts of Europe, the process of urbanisation in Central and Eastern Europe was significantly delayed. During the last millennium, the Polish state changed its borders many times, mainly in the east-west direction, because the Baltic Sea from the north and the Sudeten and Carpathian ranges from the south effectively inhibited territorial changes in the north-south direction. The process of shaping and strengthening the urban settlement network in Poland to the present day has been divided into five periods. The first, lasting from the 8th century until the union of Kreva in 1385, encompasses the beginnings of the establishment and spreading of urban settlement network; the second – the merger of the urban network with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and its strengthening in the joint state; the third – the disappearance of Poland from the map of Europe and the breakup of the settlement network into three parts: tsarist Russia, the Habsburg monarchy, Prussia, and the start of industrialisation of the partitioned land; the fourth refers to the period when Poland, after 123 years, reappeared on the administrative map of Europe (1918-1939); and the fifth one covers the period from 1945 to the present day. When undertaking scientific research on the contemporary urban network of Poland, many political, social and economic factors should be taken into account. These should be taken into account when making hypotheses, drawing conclusions and developing economic and geographical theories.