Great Polish Map of Scotland

Tourist attraction · Scottish Borders

Great Polish Map of Scotland

Tourist attraction · Scottish Borders

1

Barony Castle Hotel UK, Eddleston, United Kingdom

Photos

Great Polish Map of Scotland by null
Great Polish Map of Scotland by SEANETTA (Atlas Obscura User)
Great Polish Map of Scotland by SEANETTA (Atlas Obscura User)
Great Polish Map of Scotland by SEANETTA (Atlas Obscura User)
Great Polish Map of Scotland by SEANETTA (Atlas Obscura User)
Great Polish Map of Scotland by SEANETTA (Atlas Obscura User)
Great Polish Map of Scotland by Kim Traynor on Wikipedia (Creative Commons)
Great Polish Map of Scotland by SEANETTA (Atlas Obscura User)
Great Polish Map of Scotland by Kim Traynor on Wikipedia (Creative Commons)
Great Polish Map of Scotland by mascall (Atlas Obscura User)
Great Polish Map of Scotland by John Riddell on Wikipedia (Creative Commons)
Great Polish Map of Scotland by SEANETTA (Atlas Obscura User)
Great Polish Map of Scotland by SEANETTA (Atlas Obscura User)
Great Polish Map of Scotland by SEANETTA (Atlas Obscura User)
Great Polish Map of Scotland by SEANETTA (Atlas Obscura User)
Great Polish Map of Scotland by stevied (Atlas Obscura User)
Great Polish Map of Scotland by SEANETTA (Atlas Obscura User)
Great Polish Map of Scotland by Kim Traynor on Wikipedia (Creative Commons)
Great Polish Map of Scotland by SEANETTA (Atlas Obscura User)
Great Polish Map of Scotland by SEANETTA (Atlas Obscura User)
Great Polish Map of Scotland by SEANETTA (Atlas Obscura User)
Great Polish Map of Scotland by null
Great Polish Map of Scotland by null
Great Polish Map of Scotland by null
Great Polish Map of Scotland by null
Great Polish Map of Scotland by null
Great Polish Map of Scotland by null
Great Polish Map of Scotland by null
Great Polish Map of Scotland by null
Great Polish Map of Scotland by null
Great Polish Map of Scotland by null
Great Polish Map of Scotland by null
Great Polish Map of Scotland by null
Great Polish Map of Scotland by null
Great Polish Map of Scotland by null
Great Polish Map of Scotland by null
Great Polish Map of Scotland by null
Great Polish Map of Scotland by null
Great Polish Map of Scotland by null
Great Polish Map of Scotland by null

Highlights

40-m. x 50-m. concrete relief map of Scotland's terrain, built by Polish geographers in the 1970s.  

Barony Castle Hotel UK, Eddleston, United Kingdom Get directions

mapascotland.org

Information

Static Map

Barony Castle Hotel UK, Eddleston, United Kingdom Get directions

+44 1721 730395
mapascotland.org

Features

Last updated

Mar 4, 2025

Powered By

You might also like

Terms of Use • Privacy Policy • Cookie Policy
 © 2025 Postcard Technologies, Inc.
@atlasobscura

"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." - ATLAS_OBSCURA

13 Marvelous Maps That Go Way Beyond Paper
View Postcard for Great Polish Map of Scotland

Dee Y

SerpAPI
Brilliant place and worth the journey. The hotel staff are lovely. The site has a great walk round the side of the hotel car park. It's free to attend but absolutely have a donation to support it upkeep..the history and story and the Polish/Scottish friendship expressed this way is amazing. Could do with having the stand for viewing a few feet higher! Great space and information around the area and the squirrel spot too.

Alexander Cameron

SerpAPI
Lovely place for a wee walk. It would be much better if the steel structure was taller though so you can actually look down onto the map as you can't really get a good look at the map from how tall the structure currently is.

A I

SerpAPI
The 3D concrete sculpted map of Scotland next to Barony Castle Hotel is worth of a quick visit if you are in the Peebles area. Only a short walk from the hotel car park across a pedestrian bridge overlooking a disused overshot waterwheel takes you there. It’s back story gives an insight into Polish involvement in WWll the map’s creation.

Malgosia Michalak

SerpAPI
We have visited the Great Polish Map of Scotland called General Maczek's Map. It is really unique piece of art, worth visiting.

Sara Gale

SerpAPI
Ha, I didn't know this place even existed until a great, mutual friend took us on a magical mystery tour and this was one of our stops. You'll find this little wonder nestled behind The Barony Hotel amongst beautiful forestry. We had a beautiful, sunny day for our visit which made a huge difference!! I'm not sure how true to scale the map is!?! 🤔😁 Nevertheless, it's well worth a visit and it explains some of the history behind many Polish people settling predominantly in the East Coast of Scotland after WWII, and how much those Polish soldiers did to protect Scotland/UK for years during the height of that awful war. P.S Excuse the photos, they were the best I could do with my camera phone! Even from the heightened platform I found it difficult to take one photo of the map in its entirety. It is quite large!!

andrea stewart

SerpAPI
If you are in the area it is definitely worth a visit. It is the world's largest out door map and just happens to be of Scotland ! Lots of information available about how it all came about and if you want a wee treat you can have coffee and cake in the castle, which the map is built in the grounds of and is now a hotel for £7.50.

Grahame Latto

SerpAPI
Wish we could have got a look from a higher position than the view point which didn't do it for us. Nice woodland walk in the hotel ground as well as the map. Okay to do as part of something else rather than a one off trip.

macedonboy

SerpAPI
Visited this back in early November before the second lockdown. Located in the grounds of the Barony Castle Hotel is this map of Scotland. A gift from Jan Tomasik, a former Polish soldier stationed in Scotland during the Second World War, who made it his home after the war ended. The concrete map sits in a pond to represent the waters around the Scottish coastline. It’s quite hard to tell what the structure is unless you climb up the 5m platform. It’s only marginally better from there. It was on the way from Peebles to Penicuik anyway, so I stopped by. A great reminder of the friendship that exists between the United Kingdom and Poland.