CARTOGRAPHICS OURCES IN THE STUDY OF CURRENTISSUES OF THE MODER HISTORY OF VOLYN

Abstract

The article deals with the topical issues of researching the period of the Second World War on the territory of Volyn and the need for the exact geographical location of settlements. General comments on the use of maps and reference books that existed at that time are outlined, and a list of them is provided. Attention is drawn to the possibilities of using modern Internet resources, which make it possible to view digitized editions and scanned maps of that time. With Internet access, it is also possible to use reference resources with lists of settlements that existed within the framework of various administrative and territorial divisions during the 20th century. Such digital platforms have recently been created in Poland and Ukraine. These are, in particular, separate databases of settlements in the VolynVoivodeship in the interwar period of the 20th century, prepared on the basis of directories that allow searching on individual squares of WIG maps. In Ukraine, the creation of the vectorized platform "Volyn Interactive" has begun, which aims to provide a digital platform for the development of research in the field of humanitarian disciplines, prepared with the help of digital technologies. "Volyn Interactive" makes it possible not only to search for settlements, to determine their existence or liquidation in a certain period but also to create digital projects that correlate the spatial coordinates of settlements, information about them, and time or time interval. The use of the mentioned reference resources and digital platforms is a necessary condition for writing, in particular, historical studies. An example is given of how incorrect localization of settlements and confusion in geographical names leads to erroneous conclusions in writing the history of the Polish-Ukrainian confrontation in Volyn during the Second World War. Adherence to the scientific research methodology, which involves comparing information from historical sources with reference books, using maps, as well as historiographical experience, will avoid mistakes. Only an interdisciplinary approach to research – cooperation of historians, source scholars, geographers, and cartographers – can ensure the maximum result. This conclusion should obviously be relevant for both Polish and Ukrainian historians.