The 1896 plan of Rivne: essence and significance

In the process of conducting historical, geographical, regional, or retrospective research, it becomes necessary to refer to old cartographic materials. Unlike textual sources, which are often descriptive in nature and do not always convey spatial features, old maps and plans present information in a concise but extremely informative form, combining accuracy, scale, and clarity. The use of old maps and plans in modern research is not only justified but also extremely necessary for a deep, comprehensive understanding of past realities and their impact on the present. The object of the study is the 1896 map of Rivne, which is kept in the Rivne Regional Local History Museum and, with the exception of a few brief mentions, has not been described in scientific literature. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to conduct a comprehensive analysis of this cartographic source, which will help to gain a more complete and accurate understanding of the realities of Rivne at the end of the 19th century, when it was part of the Russian Empire and stood out among the twelve county towns of the Volyn Province for its most dynamic socio-economic growth. This plan is handwritten, drawn on a single sheet of paper, in a rectangular frame, according to strict mathematical rules. In the upper right corner of the drawing, in two lines, is the title "Plan. City of Rivne,“ below it – ”1896,“ and below that – ”Scale 100 fathoms" (meaning 1 English inch), and at the bottom left – an orientation line with an arrow pointing north. In the lower right corner is the signature “Drawn by Poruch. Kaverin.” The work presents a general view of the city plan, as well as its fragments covering the central, western, northern, eastern, and southern parts of the city. A comprehensive description and analytical study of the document's content has been carried out. Visual analysis shows that the ramified hydrographic network, which at that time occupied a fairly significant territory, and the main street, a thoroughfare of the city, which was of great military, strategic, and economic importance for Tsarist Russia—the Kyiv-Brest Highway—divided Rivne into several parts: the old city (center), Zamkovy Island, military barracks, Volya, Amerika, Kavkaz, and Hrabnyk. A dense network of roads and alleys, individual objects, features of the relief, hydrography, and vegetation cover have been identified and described. Close attention has been paid to the legend of the plan, which the author has placed in a separate 4-page booklet. In total, the legend contains 40 items. The plan is drawn in neat calligraphic handwriting, which gives it a special elegance. Lieutenant Kaverin's 1896 plan is a valuable source of comprehensive and unbiased information for learning about the city of Rivne at the end of the 19th century. It reflects the city's appearance, toponymy, and urban planning trends. It is of significant informational value, especially given the meticulous presentation of the names of almost all streets and alleys, as well as the indication of major buildings and objects. At the same time, the study of this documentary record is a necessary component of the inventory of ancient cartography of Rivne, which is complicated by the dispersion of materials and difficult access to the relevant archives