The book presents the territorial-administrative past, the settlement landscape, and the ownership structure in the area of former Orłów County until the 16^th century. On the basis of the so far unexplored manuscript sources from the Central Archives of Historical Records in Warsaw, and the records of the metropolitan chapter in Gniezno, the landscape of medieval settlement in Orłów County has been reconstructed and the estates of the most important local noble families have been discussed. In the course of the research, it was possible to identify new settlement sites and shift the metrics of some of them. The annexes include a list of all identifiable settlement points and genealogical tables. The iconographic section and the geographical index also constitute an important element of the publication.

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The publication is scientific in nature. Not only is the author familiar with the latest literature on the subject but he also introduces a number of his own new findings and verifies many of the statements that have functioned in historiography to date, especially those regarding the chronology of the establishment of many settlements.

From the review by Professor Zdzisław Noga

The publication is scientific in nature and refers to the latest findings on the subject. It should be emphasized, however, that the author refers mainly to earlier publications, especially the 1996 one by Stanisław M. Zajączkowski. Thanks to his search in manuscript sources, he corrects, modifies, and – most importantly – supplements many of the earlier findings!

From the review by Professor Jan Szymczak