The Franziscan Cadastre in Austrian Silesia

The Land Register of Francis I (Franciscan Cadastre) represents a successful attempt to unite the countries of Central Europe encompassed by the Habsburg Monarchy into a uniform legal area with regard to land valuation and taxation. This cadastre is considered as one of the most important achievements of this state, which dissolved in 1918 as a result of the Great War. It is still widely visible today but has often been underestimated in its significance and effects. In addition to the cadastral maps that are as artistic as they are detailed, the preserved written material of the cadastre is an indispensable historical source for a whole range of social and economic questions. While the preceding Franciscan Map (1:28,800) is considered to be a cornerstone for the creation of a greater economic and administrative region, the cadastre (1:2880), which started in 1817, is to be seen as a milestone of the modern state. Both land surveys are closely related to each other in terms of structure and content, even if the level of detail varies significantly due to different scales. Starting in 2008, a working group at the Universities of Innsbruck and Klagenfurt has set itself the goal of editing the Franciscan Cadastre of the former Austrian Crown Lands. Building on the studies already published on Carinthia (2013) and Bukovina (2015), the corresponding edition for Austrian Silesia is thus presented. Based on a proven methodology, this important source of a historical region that is now divided between the Czech and Polish Republics has been for the first time systematically prepared, commented and made accessible for a broader public. In addition to Kurt Scharr (project lead and editor, Innsbruck), Gerhard Siegl (Innsbruck), Walter Liebhart (Klagenfurt) and Heinz Pohl (Klagenfurt) were also involved in the projects implementation and publication. Renowned colleagues as Werner Drobesch (Klagenfurt), Ilona and Jir Peterka (Opava) and Adam S. Czartoryski (Rzeszow) kindly provided introductory studies to this edition.