[Mining Map of the Donetsk Coal Basin] / Горнопромышленная карта Донецкого каменноугольного бассейна.

$2,900

Cartographer(s): Apollon Fedorovich Mevius
Date: 1894
Place: Kharkov (Kharkiv)
Dimensions: 73 x 46 cm (29 x 18.25 in)
Condition Rating: VG+

In stock

SKU: NL-02145 Category:

A superb 1894 coal mining infrastructure map of eastern Ukraine, published in Kharkiv.

Details

An extremely rare 1894 mining map of Donets (Donetsk) in eastern Ukraine, the primary coal producing region of the Russian Empire, and later the Soviet Union and independent Ukraine. At the time this map was made, the Donets region provided over 80% of the Russian Empire’s coal. Since mining operations started in Donets in the 1870s, coal has been closely tied to the region’s economy and identity. In fact, the name Donbass (Ukrainian: Донбас; Russian: Донбасс) is an abbreviation of “Donets Coal Basin” (Ukrainian: Донецький вугільний басейн, Russian: Донецкий угольный бассейн; here as Донецкого каменноугольного бассейна).

The map shows major roads, waterways, cities, industrial centers, ports, and railway stations. Coal mines and their owners are marked in red font. The shading on the map represent deposits of minerals from geological eras. The inset map at top-right is a road map of the broader region of southwestern Russia and eastern Ukraine. The rail lines seen here compose the various branches of the Ekaterininsky Railway, the main artery through the region that carried coal and other industrial products.

This is a chromolithographed folding pocket map consisting of 24 segments. It was compiled by Apollon Mevius [Аполлон Мевиус] and was of critical importance to mining interests in the region due to the large amount of information it contained. An accompanying booklet includes additional maps and tables, including a listing of mine owners and their annual freight. At least four editions exist, all quite rare today. The present 1894 edition is only known to be held by the Russian National Library in St. Petersburg and the Russian State Library in Moscow.

Cartographer(s):

Apollon Fedorovich Mevius

Apollon Fedorovich Mevius (Аполлон Фёдорович Мевиус; 1820 – 1898) was one of the founding figures of metallurgy in Russia. Mevius’ father was a surveyor of the Tomsk mining district and later the head of mines at Olonets and a foundry at Lugansk. The younger Mevius began study at the Institute of the Corps of Mining Engineers at age 12. Upon graduation ten years later, he was sent to oversee metallurgical plants in the Urals before undertaking further study of the science in western Europe. He translated state-of-the-art texts into Russian and oversaw various projects upon returning to Russia. In 1861, he took charge of the Lugansk Mining District as his father had done, and spent the rest of his career dealing with matters related to coal mining, smelting, and railways in the region, now eastern Ukraine. In 1870, he moved to Kharkov (Kharkiv) to work at the recently-established Kharkov Technological Institute, setting up its department of metallurgy.

Condition Description

Very good. Linen-backed folding map. Folds into original case, which also includes booklet of related statistics and information.

References

Related products