1640 Blaeu’s map showing Bulgaria coast and Varna

Willem Janszoon Blaeu (1571-1638) was a notable Dutch cartographer and bookseller. Blaeu, who was born to a herring trader, decided to pursue mathematics and astronomy instead of the fishing industry. He received education under the renowned Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe, during which he refined his abilities in crafting instruments and globes.

Blaeu established a business in Amsterdam, where he traded instruments and globes, printed maps, and supervised the publications of thinkers such as Descartes and Hugo Grotius. In 1635, he published his atlas, Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, sive, Atlas novus.

It is important to mention that the two islands located offshore are subject to some degree of speculation on whether they are sandbars or genuine islands. However, it does accurately indicate the shifting of the Black Sea seabed and the potential elevation of the water. Interestingly, an earlier 1570 Map had one of these island named as “Pargula noua.”

• Willem Janszoon Blaeu Map of the Balkans

• RareMaps Bulgaria

• RareMaps Bulgaria