The concept of the Historical Geographic Information System for the settlements of Transylvania

Abstract. Historical geographic information systems are becoming more and more common in historical research, because of their ability to emphasise the role of space in understanding historical events. Researchers concerned with the history of the settlement network of Transylvania would undoubtedly benefit from such a historical geographic information system, as it could shed a completely new light on the evolution of the settlements in this diverse, multilingual and multicultural region of Romania. Changes in the name, legal status, administrative role and affiliation of the settlements of the last one thousand years could all be integrated and even visualised in space and time in a similar system, using current webcartographic solutions. This paper explores the issues motivating the need to set up the Historical Geographic Information System for the settlements of Transylvania and examines the possibilities for its implementation.