Plans of Varna and Varna Bay by Lafitte-Clavé (1784) and Its Copies Until the Mid-Nineteenth Century

Authors:

Pages: 80-96
DOI: https://doi.org/10.54664/AHVN1218

Abstract:

The article presents the plans and their copies of Varna and Varna Bay made by the French officer, engineer and topographer André-Joseph Lafitte-Clavé. In 1784, at the request of the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire, Halil Hamid Paşa, and with the agreement of the French ambassador in Constantinople, the Comte de Saint-Pries Lafitte-Clavé undertook an expedition to the Black Sea to inspect strategically important fortresses and make recommendations for their further strengthening. The whole course of the expedition is described in a detailed diary kept by the Frenchman. In July, the expedition was in Varna for ten days, where it made observations of the fortress, prepared a detailed plan of the surrounding area, and took measurements of the depths of Varna Bay. In September, Lafitte-Clavé returned to Constantinople, and on 30 December 1784 he drew several plans of Varna and Varna Bay. Today, these valuable historical sources are preserved in the collection of Service historique de la Défense of France in Vincennes (Paris), and this publication is the first to present to the scientific community the original plans of Varna and Varna Bay of Lafitte-Clavé from 1784 and its later copies, accompanied by a scientific commentary.

Keywords:

André-Joseph Lafitte-Clavé, Varna, France, Ottoman Empire, Service historique de la Défense of France in Vincennes (Paris).

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