Customs house buildings at the Mława station

The route of the railway ran along the bank of the Vistula through the towns of: Mława, Ciechanów, Niesielsk, Modlin, Nowy Dwór, Jabłonna, Warszawa Praga, Karczew, Maciejowice, Dęblin, Lublin, Rejowiec, Chełm, Dorohusk, Luboml, Kowel. From the name of the first and last station the route was called the Mławsko-kowelska road, it was about 456 km long. The II class railway station in Mława, which does not exist today, was a border station. It connected with the Prussian Mlawa-Malbork railway. Thanks to this section Warsaw gained a shorter route to Gdańsk. In addition to a building for passengers, it contained buildings for the customs house.

The stages of the construction of the station and its individual buildings as well as other sections of the railway were captured on photographs by Maksymilian Fajans. The Pole of Jewish origin was born in Sieradz in 1827. He studied at the Warsaw School of Fine Arts in various painting studios. Then, in order to supplement his skills in graphics, especially lithography, he went to Paris, where he took up gainful employment. In 1853, he opened the Artistic Lithographic Workshop in Warsaw, printing calendars, diplomas, invitations, prayer books and religious pictures. From 1862, he had his own photographic workshop, responding to the huge interest in this new field of graphic art at the time. Politicians, cultural personalities and actors were photographed in his studio. He made portraits, reproductions of works of art, scenes from city life, outdoor photos. His prints have a deep, sepia tone. He was repeatedly appreciated for his work and won numerous awards.