This map and report analyse and describe the opportunities, risks and hard-to-assess effects of the disintegration of the Eastern Block that have been brought about since the demise of the iron curtain in 1990. Large centers in this former eastern block region are instrumental for the changes that take place, not only from a political and economical point of view but also because the crucially influence the spatial structure of that region. The present study analyses the prevalent structures in Central and Eastern Europe and tries to evaluate their past development. Among the objectives addressed: Significance of centers for their hinterlands. Parallels between centeral place systems in Eastern Europe and Western Europe. Nature of changes that accompany the present political changes; are these changes of transient nature, are they expected to lead to a long term reorientation?