Military Aspects in the Spatial Development of Polish Cities in the Nineteenth Century

Abstract

Military issues were deemed vital in the European politics of the nineteenth century. The aim of this article is to trace the most important implications of the ‘military bias’ of state authorities in the border region between the three empires (Germany, Russia and Austria – later the Austro-Hungarian Empire) which occupied the Central and Eastern part of the continent. Military authorities sometimes exercised a particularly strong influence upon urban policy. The two major issues addressed in this article are the fortifications (their creation, strengthening, and spatial development) which influenced urban sprawl – though perhaps not so much as is maintained in the scholarly literature – and the development of railways. The directions and tracks chosen for the railways were also influenced by the military plans, which in turn often differed much from the visions of the urban officials who made up the administration of the city.