Československý vojenský atlas

Translated as The Czechoslovakian military atlas - this might be one of the most complex post WW2 atlases produced in Europe. It is not an overstatement that it belongs to the company of Rusian Atlas Mira, Polish Atlas Swiata (in England published as Pergamon World Atlas) and The Times Atlas. The 210 000 names in the separately published name register prove the ammount of data present in the atlas is enormous.

The atlas is dividied into two main sections, first with world geographiocal, political, physical and statistical maps, and the second part visualising the geographical anatomy of the most important battles of history as well as showing battle formations and war strategies from many thousands years B.C. until the Cuban revolution in 1959.

Printed in the amount of 15 000 copies (which is rather less compared to previously mentioned competitors), it mainly ended up in universities, libraries, and was oficialy distributed among military commanders. Although it is no surprise the military part of this atlas is affected by communistic propaganda to a rather high degree, it doesn"t make the cartographic part any less an admireable achievement. Around 300 people from czechoslovakian Ministry of Defense, Charles University in Prague and Czech Academy of Science actualy participated in making of this atlas.

This atlas was rather expensive one to buy. With the original price of 390 Czech Crowns inclulding the name index, one could buy this atlas for a price of an average week salary at the time (the average monthly salary was around 1600 Crowns).