Very rare separately issued map of Poland and its surrounding region issued just after the Great War. The colours note the percentage of the Polish population within these regions.

This extremely rare map was part of a proposal taken by the Polish Foreign Minister Roman Dmowski to the Treaty of Paris in 1919, also known as the Paris Peace Conference. This proposal asked the victorious allies to expand the borders of Poland based on the level of the Polish population outside its current borders.

The map portrays both the actual and historical borders of Poland, with the colours denoting the density of population perceived by the government as “Polish”, hence the basis of their claim. One of the most problematic issues with the proposal was the interpretation of “Polish” nationals and the lack of information about the following status of other ethnic groups within the area. Ultimately, this Polish proposal was not accepted.

The map is credited to two individuals: the original source is a series of 48 maps collected and possibly drawn by the Polish landowner and social activist Wladislaw Zamoyski. The final map was edited and produced by Teofil Szumanski.

 Original colour. [POL1060]