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Related: Culture Forums, Support Forumsmahatmakanejeeves
(56,887 posts)I'll look for it.
ETA: here you go.
Note: Architect of the Capital, not Architect of the Capitol. The latter is a government office. The former is a website.
Hyper Detailed Soviet Maps Of Washington
By Elliot Carter
This detailed map of Washington, DC was compiled by a secret USSR mapmaking program during the Cold War. Wired published an amazing 6,000 word article on the topic, which you should read in full here.
"The maps were part of one of the most ambitious cartographic enterprises ever undertaken. During the Cold War, the Soviet military mapped the entire world, parts of it down to the level of individual buildings. The Soviet maps of US and European cities have details that arent on domestic maps made around the same time, things like the precise width of roads, the load-bearing capacity of bridges, and the types of factories. Theyre the kinds of things that would come in handy if youre planning a tank invasion. Or an occupation."
The DC map was obtained by John Davies, who first discovered the Soviet maps in Latvia in the early 2000's and runs a comprehensive website on the topic.
hlthe2b
(101,714 posts)from someone in Latvia
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Russian-Soviet-Military-Topographic-Maps-DENVER-USA-1-1000000-ed-1950-/112503228190
We were all targeted then... as are we now.
DFW
(54,050 posts)A very poor likeness even for back then..........
Kaleva
(36,146 posts)And you have a fantastic singing voice!!!
DFW
(54,050 posts)Those had better be SOME kind of special mushrooms to overlook glass shattering and wild animals fleeing when I sing.
Major Nikon
(36,814 posts)DFW
(54,050 posts)Art in general was never my strong suit.......
gratuitous
(82,849 posts)During the Cold War, the Soviet Union was deathly afraid of being invaded, even though Napoleon and Hitler had both broken their armies trying to invade. The fear of losing territory, though, overrode a lot of other considerations. To that end, the Soviets used to make maps that showed cities closer than they actually were, or more distant. The idea being that an invading force might need to consult local maps as they moved through the territory. The hope was that an invader might get frustrated by an unexpectedly long trek or decline to go to the next city if they thought it was too far away.
Looks like the Soviets didn't trust Americans to print accurate maps, either.
jmowreader
(50,447 posts)In the USSR, any map with more than a certain level of detail was classified. And the more detailed it was, the more classified it was. The secret Soviet maps were more accurate than the ones the US had, because their projection of the world was better.
The Soviets mapped the US (and we the USSR) because when you're an invading army, you can't exactly stop off at a benzokolonka and ask for a karta, now can you?