ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the changes in city representation in guidebooks and its impact on the perception of urban spaces. Guidebooks traditionally aimed to familiarise visitors with unfamiliar cities by listing prominent landmarks and institutions. However, this approach often fails to capture the multifaceted aspects of the urban sphere since guidebook creation involves selective simplification and generalisation. This research focuses on the representation of Szczecin in guidebooks from the early twentieth century until the 1980s. The research involves analysing 15 German pre-1945 guidebooks and 15 Polish guidebooks on Szczecin issued after World War II, selected by focusing on local publishers. They are seen as on-the-ground actors who convey their image of the city. The analysis reveals three overarching developments in city representation. Firstly, the map legend-style listings. Secondly, the transition to city walks with linear narratives. Finally, a significant transformation occurred in the 1970s, when the new approach to city walks started seeing a district as a representation of a “step” of the urban development, incorporating a time element. This analysis highlights how guidebook authors, as local actors, perceive the city as a space of social interactions and historical events. By comparing guidebooks and studying their evolution over time, this research uncovers underlying structures and trends that transcend national boundaries and wartime censure. The findings demonstrate that the representation of the city is not merely tied to the language or nationality of their authors, but also reveals broader trends in urban representation.
