View of Astracan in Russia [and] View of the City of Cracow in Poland

Two views of important Central European cities from the late 18th century.

This pair of views was originally published in Percival Barlow’s A General History of Europe around 1790. The upper scene shows the fortified Russian city of Astracan (Astrakhan), situated on the Volga River about 60 miles north of the Caspian Sea. The Astracan Kremlin and Orthodox church steeples dominate the skyline and numerous vessels in the river reflect the city’s importance as a center for shipbuilding, especially for Russia’s incursions against the Ottoman Empire.

The lower view shows Cracow (Krakow), a historic capital of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Krakow. The Vistula River is seen winding through the right side of the image while iconic sites like St. Mary’s Basilica and Wawel Castle can be clearly identified within the city walls. Armed travelers are shown in the foreground – possibly a reflection on the ongoing domestic unrest that would see the second partition of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth just a few years after publication (1793).