Narva Museum opened a new exhibition dedicated to the history of mapping Narva

The exhibition, "A Glimpse at the Map of Narva," introduces visitors to urban plans and maps created from the mid-17th century to the early 21st century.

City plans and maps are invaluable records of Narva's history. They document the expansion of urban areas, the nature of residential and industrial development, and the evolution of geographic names.

A special highlight of the exhibition is the collection of copies of Narva’s oldest city plans from the 17th century, including the 1649 plan—one of the oldest surviving city plans in Estonia. The 1684 plan is unique as it includes the first recorded street names of Narva’s historic center. In 2024, these rare artifacts celebrate their 375th and 340th anniversaries, respectively.

The exhibition showcases over 20 historical city plans from the collections of Narva Museum, the National Library of Estonia, the National Archives of Estonia, the Estonian Museum of Architecture, and the Narva City Archive. For the first time, visitors can view large-scale topographic plans of Narva from the 1960s–1970s, which were originally classified for official use only.

A standout feature of the exhibition is a modern interactive map of the city. This comprehensive range of cartographic materials from various eras highlights the development of Narva’s urban landscape and showcases the evolution of cartography in tandem with advances in science and technology.