This 1823 map of Saratov Province is from a larger work, Geograficheskii atlas Rossiiskoi imperii, tsarstva Pol'skogo i velikogo kniazhestva Finliandskogo (Geographical atlas of the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Poland, and the Grand Duchy of Finland), containing 60 maps of the Russian Empire. Compiled and engraved by Colonel V.P. Piadyshev, it reflects the detailed mapping carried out by Russian military cartographers in the first quarter of the 19th century. The map shows population centers (seven gradations by size), postal stations, roads (four types), provincial and district borders, forts, monasteries, factories, and outposts. Distances are shown in versts, a Russian measure, now no longer used, equal to 1.07 kilometers. Legends and place-names are in Russian and French. Saratov was founded in the late 16th century along the southern reaches of the Volga. It was one of several fortress cities, such as nearby Samara and Tsaritsyn (present-day Volgograd), which protected the southeastern boundaries of the Russian state. Agriculture was the mainstay of the economy in this region, with shipments on the Volga River a supplementary contributor. Saratov Province became notable in the era of Catherine the Great as the destination of thousands of German immigrants, who were invited by the Russian government to farm the rich soil of the region. Known as “Volga Germans,” these new settlers transformed the culture and even architecture of the region.