Both on Water and on Land: The Structure of River Ports and Harbours in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the sixteenth–eighteenth centuries

Based on historical sources, historiography, and archaeological evidence, this article examines the structure of river ports and harbours in the Grand Duchy of Lithuaniabetween the 16th and 18th centuries. Sources referred to riverside settlements as „port” (in Polish and Ruthenian) and „przystań” (or „pristanʹ” in Ruthenian). A “port” wasusually located in larger urban centres, while smaller towns and landed estates had “harbours.” The main distinction was based on quantitative and qualitative differences,with ports featuring wharves, warehouses, and shipyards, while harbours relied on natural sites for loading and unloading. The conducted study shows how people usedthe natural conditions for navigation.