The influence of railways on spatial layouts of settlements in North- Eastern Poland

Abstract

The aim of the study was to analyse the transformation of spatial structures of towns in North-Eastern Poland, characterized by different origins and happening due to the construction of railway line. The region in question was in the past subject to different settlement processes taking place against the background of historical events such as, among others, the conquest of land by the Teutonic Knights and the political partition of Poland (the border between Prussia and Russia), thereby forming diverse urban systems, later influenced by the railway, which modified their spatial structures, as well as changed their existing importance in the region. As a result of aforementioned changes different forms of urban layouts were formed – line layouts within the historic towns and more complicated layouts within the new railway settlements. The entire analytical procedure was based mainly on archival cartographic materials and divided into three parts: conditions of settlements development, analyze the evolution of its spatial layouts and the typology of researched urban layouts. The chronological summary of the parts allowed for the comparison of the spatial structure of a given town and for its interpretation. In addition, field research necessary for the interpretation of the contemporary structures of chosen towns was carried out. The final result was a synthesis of research in the form of a typology of links between the original structure and the railway station, distinguishing between the different forms of settlements.