The Evolution of Cadastral Systems in Austria and Galicia (Poland): Different Approaches to a Similar System from a Common Beginning

The main aim of this paper is to document the gradual evolution of cadastral maps and associated land books in the area of today's Austria as well as the more dramatic development of the cadastral system in Galicia (Poland). The continuous development of the Austrian system is compared to the more gradual evolution of the Polish system, the development of which was more complex because of the historical and political developments in this country's turbulent past. However both systems have common roots with the Franciscan Cadastre. The investigation is based on development of the legal instruments, the institutional settings, the technical procedures, and the final products of the respected countries. The comparison of the development in the two countries and the results of the investigated quality assessment of cadastral maps clearly document that the smooth development of a cadastre requires a stable political situation. The Austrian cadastre had already almost finished the period of consolidation, harmonization, and completion in 1938. This allowed a new area of further development to evolve after 1945. In Poland, the unfinished tasks of homogenization and harmonization in 1939 and the significant changes in the political system in 1945 delayed consolidation, harmonization, and completion of the cadastral system and impeded the continuous development of the system for the next decades.