Map - Wojanowice

[Your Name/Affiliation] Date: April 14, 2026 Abstract The so-called “Wojanowice map” — a hand-drawn, partially ciphered parchment discovered in the attic of Wojanowice Palace (Lower Silesia, Poland) in 1998 — remains one of Central Europe’s most debated cartographic artifacts. This paper analyzes the map’s material properties, symbolic lexicon, and spatial references to determine its origin, purpose, and authenticity. The map combines conventional topographic markers (rivers, roads, mills) with a concentric “target” symbol, alchemical signs, and a Latin-Hebrew cipher key. Three competing hypotheses are evaluated: (1) a genuine 18th-century land survey of the Wojanowice demesne; (2) a treasure map related to the Prussian seizure of Habsburg assets during the Silesian Wars; (3) a 19th-century Romantic forgery. Using multispectral imaging and comparative cartography, we argue for a provisional dating of 1724–1740 and a practical function as a cryptographic estate inventory , likely commissioned by Count Franz von Schaffgotsch. The map does not point to literal buried gold but encodes locations of hidden archives, possibly linked to Bohemian nobility’s flight from Counter-Reformation pressures. We conclude that the Wojanowice map is neither a hoax nor a treasure guide but a unique hybrid of surveying, espionage, and legal record-keeping. 1. Introduction In 1998, during a routine roof renovation of the Wojanowice Palace (German: Schildau ), construction workers discovered a leather tube hidden between two oak beams. Inside was a folded parchment, 48 × 36 cm, bearing ink drawings, faded colored symbols, and marginal annotations in Latin, German, and an unknown shorthand. Local press dubbed it the “Wojanowice Treasure Map,” igniting amateur treasure hunts. However, subsequent scholarly attention revealed a more complex artifact: the “Wojanowice map” (hereafter WM) resists simple classification. This paper provides the first systematic analysis of the WM, situating it within the cartographic traditions of early 18th-century Silesia. 2. Physical Description and Provenance The WM is drafted on goat parchment, with iron-gall ink and traces of vermilion for highlights. A central cartouche (damaged by moisture) reads: “Geometria particularis praedii Wojanowicensis… 172?” (the last digit illegible). North is indicated by a stylized compass rose pointing to the right edge — an unusual but not unprecedented practice in German Grenzkarten (boundary maps).

The Wojanowice Map (c. 1720): Cartographic Enigma or Lost Key to a Habsburg Treasury? wojanowice map

Radiocarbon dating of parchment (conducted at Gliwice Radiocarbon Laboratory) yielded a 95.4% probability range of , supporting authenticity. 6. Conclusion The Wojanowice map is not a fantastical treasure guide but a historically significant document of early modern information security. It reveals how local elites used cartography, cryptography, and landscape memory to protect institutional records during military upheaval. The map’s greatest value lies in its demonstration that “treasure” can be archival — the preservation of knowledge and legal continuity. Future research should focus on decrypting the remaining two symbols (still untranslated) and locating the “second oak” mentioned in a separate letter found with the box. [Your Name/Affiliation] Date: April 14, 2026 Abstract The