Topographic Symbols of the USSR. Part 1

On Soviet topographic maps, the depiction of cities and towns was closely tied to their population size and the map’s scale. Standardized symbols allowed cartographers and military personnel to quickly assess the type and importance of each settlement.

These conventions reflected both the functional role of the settlement and its strategic relevance, especially in military and logistical planning. The visual representation did not always correspond to the exact number of buildings but was designed to indicate density and layout type.

Represented on maps at scales like 1:50,000 and 1:100,000 with small clusters of buildings, often without street detail. These settlements typically lacked urban infrastructure and were marked with simplified symbols.

Rural settlements were common across the USSR and included workers’ settlements, collective farm centers (kolkhozy), and small agricultural communities. Their depiction on topographic maps emphasized their limited size and functional simplicity, often showing only key buildings or landmarks such as a school, club, or church if present.

1. Blocks predominantly consisting of fire-resistant buildings.
2. Blocks predominantly consisting of non-fire-resistant buildings.
   Note: On a 1:100,000 scale map, fire resistance is not indicated; an orange background fill on depictions of cities with a population of 50,000 or more represents densely built-up blocks.
3. Destroyed and partially destroyed blocks.
4. Impassable sections of streets (shown only on maps at a 1:25,000 scale).
5. Prominent fire-resistant buildings (shown only on maps at scales 1:25,000 and 1:50,000)
   Left: Represented at map scale
   Right: Not represented at map scale
6. Residential and non-residential buildings
   Left: Represented at map scale
   Right: Not represented at map scale
7. Destroyed and partially destroyed buildings
   Left: Represented at map scale
   Right: Not represented at map scale
8. Isolated farmsteads
9. Tent and yurt encampments, etc.

1. Moscow – Capital of the USSR, capitals of the Union republics of the USSR, and capitals of foreign countries with a population over 1,000,000. Also includes cities with a population over 1,000,000.
2. Riga – Capitals of the Union republics of the USSR and capitals of foreign countries with a population under 1,000,000. Also includes cities with a population from 500,000 to 1,000,000.
3. Tomsk – Capitals of Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republics (ASSR), centers of krais, oblasts, and autonomous oblasts not included in a krai. First-order administrative centers in foreign territories. Also includes cities with a population from 100,000 to 500,000.
4. Maykop – Centers of oblasts and autonomous oblasts within a krai. Centers of national okrugs. Cities with a population from 50,000 to 100,000.
5. Torzhok – Cities with a population from 10,000 to 50,000.
6. Aleksin – Cities with a population from 2,000 to 10,000.
7. Varniai – Cities with a population under 2,000.

Note: City and railway station name labels are shown for the 1:100,000 scale map. On maps at 1:25,000 and 1:50,000 scales, the same typefaces are used, but rendered in slightly larger sizes.

1. Kodzori – 2,000 residents or more.
2. Dubki – Fewer than 2,000 residents.

1. Maisky – More than 1,000 residents.
2. Artyomovsky – From 100 to 1,000 residents.
3. Rudnichny – Fewer than 100 residents.

1. Labinskaya – More than 200 households.
2. Goncharovka – From 100 to 200 households.
3. Yuryevka – From 20 to 100 households.
4. Lotoshino – Fewer than 20 households.
5. Dinskaya – Individual homesteads.

1. Gorbachevo – Junction and large stations.
2. Navtlug – Stations, sidings, platforms, and stopping points.

Note: If the name of a settlement on the map is underlined, it also refers to the nearby railway station or river port.