Collection of Maps

The Collection of maps comprises more than 2,000 maps of the period 1830-1950, the vast majority of which are maps of Greece and the Balkans.

Sketches of the borders, the outcomes of the first topographical measurements, analytical and large-scale impressions of the landscape and its administrative subdivisions, urban designs, military, archaeological, historical and statistical maps, analytical depictions of road, telegraphic, railway or coastal shipping connections as well as the most interesting mappings of the ethnographic makeup of Greek and adjacent areas constitute the particularly rich cartographic collection of ELIA.

Among the above the first editions of maps of the free kingdom of Greece (Austrian and Greek ones), as well as of the two World Wars and the campaign and disaster in Asia Minor can be found. A significant section is that of ethnographic and statistical maps as well as of those which depict the distribution of churches and schools in Northern Greece and Asia Minor. Of interest are also the British Admiralty maps of the coastlines and islands of the Aegean, along with some others depicting national territorial claims and delimitations.

A programme for the digitization and documented filing of the cartographic collection of ELIA has been initiated in collaboration with the National Centre of Maps and Cartographic Heritage, “National Map Library”. The high resolution digitised maps will be stored in CD-ROMs and whole maps or parts of them will be available in electronically printed copies.