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All the United Kingdom Scotland Scottish Borders Great Polish Map of Scotland

Great Polish Map of Scotland

This huge concrete map of Scotland was built as a thank you gift from a Polish soldier.

Scottish Borders, Scotland

Added By
Stevie Douglas
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Great Polish Map of Scotland   Kim Traynor on Wikipedia
Great Polish Map of Scotland   Kim Traynor on Wikipedia
Great Polish Map of Scotland   Kim Traynor on Wikipedia
Great Polish Map of Scotland next to Black Barony   John Riddell on Wikipedia
Great Polish Map of Scotland with people for scale   Kim Traynor on Wikipedia
Barony Hotel   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
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Firth of Forth/Edinburgh   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
Viewing Platform   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
“The Altar”   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
Ravine   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
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Ben Nevis   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
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Bridge walkway   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
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The great Polish map of Scotland   rojC / Atlas Obscura User
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Drone shot, 80 meters above: July 2021   mascall / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Sitting just off to the side of Scotland's Black Barony, a hotel that was formerly known as Barony Castle, is what appears at first glance to be a field of low-lying boulders covered in lichen and moss, but this is in fact a small model of Scotland. 

The Great Polish Map of Scotland, as it is known, may be the world's largest terrain relief map, but it all started as a gift from a grateful Polish soldier. Barony Castle, near the Scottish burgh of Eddleston, was requisitioned by the Polish army in World War II for training. Jan Tomasik, a Polish sergeant with the armored division, was stationed nearby helping to defend Scotland from the Germans. After WWII, Tomasik decided to remain in Scotland, reluctant to go home due to the new political regime in Poland. After the war, Barony Castle was turned into a hotel and in 1968, Tomasik actually purchased the castle and renovated it.

With a keen interest in topography, Tomasik wanted to build a scale map of Scotland on the grounds of the castle, as a thank you to the state that had become his new home. So he envisioned the Mapa Scotland, as The Great Polish Map of Scotland is also known. Construction began in 1974 and was completed in the summer of 1979. The map ended up being highly accurate despite its epic scale, measuring over 160 feet by over 130 feet, and ringed in by a squat wall. It also had running water in its rivers and lochs that was supplied by a system of pipes. 

Tomasik hoped the map would bring new visitors to the castle, including royalty. Sadly this was not the case and after Tomasiks death, the castle was again sold and the huge concrete map fell into obscurity and neglect. The water features dried up and the continents began to be lost beneath weeds and moss.

Finally, in 2010, a group was formed called "Mapa Scotland" to bring the colossal model back to life. They received a small  heritage grant and work began. Today, volunteers have gotten the map to a viewable state. While it no longer features the original painted colors or flowing rivers, the Great Polish Map of Scotland can still make visitors feel like a Celtic god.

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On the grounds of the Barony Castle Hotel. Due to a dangerously steep ravine that separates the map from the hotel, the pathway is not wheelchair accessible. Border Buses offers a limited service to Eddleston, the X62 to Galashiels. The bus leaves from several select stops every hour to a half-hour. The journey takes about 45 minutes. It is a 10-minute walk to the hotel from the Horseshoe Hotel.

Community Contributors

Added By

stevied

Edited By

SEANETTA, EricGrundhauser, mascall, rojC

  • SEANETTA
  • EricGrundhauser
  • mascall
  • rojC

Published

November 16, 2015

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  • www.baronycastle.com
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Polish_Map_of_Scotland#External_link
Great Polish Map of Scotland
Black Barony
Scottish Borders, Scotland, EH45 8QW
United Kingdom
55.712823, -3.216916
Visit Website
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