Ars Adriatica (Jan 2016)
Guide to Dalmatia: De Traux's Description from 1805
Abstract
Maximilian De Traux (1766-1817) was an engineering officer in the Austrian army. In 1803, he became the head of the engineering administration in Zadar, in which role he travelled all over Dalmatia during the following two years, gaining a solid knowledge of the region. In 1805, he produced a description of the land, nowadays preserved at the National Library of Serbia in Belgrade. It was published under a somewhat clumsy title Festungen Dalmatiens und Albaniens nebst vorliegenden Inseln, und Beschreibung (Fortifications of Dalmatia and Albania, as well as the neighbouring islands, and their description) and dedicated to Johann, Archduke of Austria, but in fact it was intended for the Austrian ruling house in general, in order to help them govern the lands which had come into their possession only a few years before. The book consists of two parts: textual and illustrative, the latter including 29 figures. In the textual part, De Traux largely focuses on the state of Dalmatian fortifications, including mainland settlements and those on the islands. He then describes the geography of the area and the communication lines with regard to the defence potential and the need of investing in the construction of new fortifications. The population is described in the tradition of Alberto Fortis, whereby he distinguishes between two types: the urban inhabitants, which resemble the Italians in all aspects, and those of the hinterland, the so-called Morlacs. He also describes “Albania”, the area around Boka Kotorska, previously governed by the Venetian Republic under the name of Albania Veneta. In this section he addresses, among other things, the problem of the Orthodox population, arguing that it would be beneficial to appoint a separate Orthodox bishop (episkopos) for “Albania” and that the Orthodox will never be loyal subjects to a Catholic monarch as their religion creates a state within the state. The illustrative section of De Traux’s report includes ground plans of various fortifications and maps of Dalmatia, the Kvarner Islands, and “Albania”. At the very beginning, there are separate illustrations, with a particular focus on Sanmicheli’s Land Gate. It was given a special place in the report and, although it was still a part of the fortification belt and played a role in communication and defence, De Traux did not waste a word on that aspect, commenting instead on its symbolic role as an entrance to the main Venetian city of Dalmatia. De Traux’s booklet is rather small (11x19 cm) and thus the author calls it “a pocketbook” (Taschenbuch). This can be explained by its aim: it had to be handy and easy to use by its addressee, Archduke Johann, and this aspect was obviously more important than a possible representative character. Because of the size, De Traux’s ground plans had to be limited in the number of details in order to remain clear, which resulted in unusually effective and suggestive depictions.
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