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Luigi Negrelli (1799–1858): A Tyrolean Engineer at the Heart of the Suez Canal Project

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Italy and the Suez Canal, from the Mid-nineteenth Century to the Cold War

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Abstract

This chapter is based on the abundant documentation left by Luigi Negrelli (Primiero 1799–Vienna 1858), which is kept at the Technisches Museum in Vienna and was transcribed and analysed at the Department of Economics and Management of the University of Trento. The study highlights the key role that the engineer played in the development of nineteenth-century transport systems, which has for a long time been overshadowed by debates on his ethnicity and national allegiance. In the first half of the twentieth century, nationalist literature produced both north and south of the Alps distorted Negrelli’s image, presenting him alternately as an Italian Risorgimento hero and a German innovator. His writings shed light on his deep understanding of the technical and economic workings of communication networks and on his international achievements, with particular regard to Central European railway projects and—first and foremost—the Suez Canal.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Negrelli’s most accurate and well-documented biography is a fundamental read: Birk (1915, 1925). See also: Birk and Müller (1925).

  2. 2.

    Leonardi (2020) has extensive references to works that have improperly described Negrelli as either Italian or German.

  3. 3.

    The following works are at least partly based on primary sources: Scaglione (1971/1972), Leonardi (1990, 2006), Deihsen (1993), Bussjäger et al. (1997), Marzani Prosser (1999), Gatani (2000, 2005).

  4. 4.

    Leonardi (2020).

  5. 5.

    Deihsen (1993), Gatani (2000), Helps (2005), Leonardi (1990, 2020).

  6. 6.

    Piquet (2008, 256, 389), Piquet (2018, 219) are imprecise and erroneous on Negrelli. Other recent works (Moghira 2002; Bonin 2010) completely ignore his role.

  7. 7.

    The Nachlaß Negrelli in the Archive of the Technisches Museum in Vienna contains 1597 documents that include letters by and to Negrelli, a series of reports, service dispatches and notes of various kind dated 1815–1858 and a further 838 documents retrieved in a search coordinated by A. Leonardi. All documents are available online https://negrelli.primiero.tn.it/it/archives/index/.

  8. 8.

    The ‘Italian’ Negrelli of most websites is a prime example of this.

  9. 9.

    Francesconi to Negrelli, 7 January 1843, TMW, NN, 05_0198_000.

  10. 10.

    Negrelli to Caroline Negrelli, 11 December 1854, TMW, NN, 11_1112_000.

  11. 11.

    Negrelli to Escher, 30 December 1854, TMW, NN, 11_1118_000. His declared intention was for the canal to create new relations between peoples.

  12. 12.

    Francesconi to Negrelli, 7 January 1843, TMW, NN, 05_0198_000.

  13. 13.

    Deihsen (1993, 21).

  14. 14.

    Birk (1915, 72–81), Bussjäger et al. (1997, 75–84), Gatani (2000, 87–127).

  15. 15.

    Brugger (1909, 27–28).

  16. 16.

    Negrelli (1838, 6–7).

  17. 17.

    Ibidem, 192.

  18. 18.

    Leonardi (2016).

  19. 19.

    Francesconi to Negrelli, 23 March 1843, TMW, NN, 05_0175_000. See also: Birk (1915, 169–170). Sandgruber (1987).

  20. 20.

    Joseph to Negrelli, 22 March 1842, TMW, NN, 05_0174_000. The long viaduct next to Prague is still known today as the ‘Negrelli viaduct’. Leonardi (2016).

  21. 21.

    Contro (1990).

  22. 22.

    Negrelli (1856).

  23. 23.

    See: Jouve (2001), Coilly and Régnier (2006).

  24. 24.

    Bono (2006, 412). On the age-old quest for a connection between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean, see: Bono (1990).

  25. 25.

    Mazuel (1937).

  26. 26.

    The correspondence between Negrelli and von Bruck in the Nachlaß consists of over 80 documents, dating from 3 October 1846 (TMW, NN, 06_0259_007) to 26 March 1858 (TMW, NN, 12_1457_000).

  27. 27.

    Agstner (1995).

  28. 28.

    This ‘nationalistic’ misrepresentation has affected also prominent scholars like Angelo Sammarco, and Armando Levi Cases.

  29. 29.

    Charles-Roux (1901, vol. 1, 208–209).

  30. 30.

    Ibidem.

  31. 31.

    Negrelli to Kubli, 14 November 1847, TMW, NN, 07_0469_000. Felix Kubli (1802–1872) accompanied Negrelli to Egypt in 1855.

  32. 32.

    Algardi (1988, 33–34), Gatani (2000, 248–257).

  33. 33.

    Jaßnüger to Negrelli, 1 June 1847, TMW, NN, 08_0554_000. Jaßnüger to Negrelli, 16 June 1847, TMW, NN, 08_0555_000. The Klafter is a Central European unit of length that corresponds to 1.89 metres.

  34. 34.

    Treue (1970), Lo Giudice (1981, 38–65).

  35. 35.

    Dufour-Féronce to Negrelli, 13 November 1845, TMW, NN, 06_0259_002.

  36. 36.

    Negrelli to Thurn, 21 January 1847, TMW, NN, 07_0496_000. The institutions were: the municipality and the Chamber of Commerce of Trieste, the Austrian Lloyd, the Viennese Union of Industries and the Chamber of Commerce of Venice (which was part of Austria).

  37. 37.

    The correspondence with Dufour-Féronce lasted from 1845 to 1855. The relationship between Negrelli and Revoltella is documented in the Nachlaß by more than 200 documents. After Negrelli’s death, his daughter accused Revoltella of being co-responsible of the theft of her father’s project. See: Scaglione (1971/1972), Introduction: XIX–XXVI.

  38. 38.

    Birk (1925, 12–38), Bernardello (1997), Leonardi (2006).

  39. 39.

    Birk (1925, 238), on the role of Paleocapa Curli (2015).

  40. 40.

    Negrelli to Escher, 1 February 1848, TMW, NN, 08_0589_000. Sammarco (1939, 66–68). Algardi (1988, 145–158).

  41. 41.

    Deihsen (1993, 219–233). The author has reconstructed the whole affair using documents from Vienna’s Verkehrsarchiv.

  42. 42.

    Deihsen (1993, 219–233), Birk (1925, 165–184).

  43. 43.

    Sammarco (1935).

  44. 44.

    Edgar Bonnet (1951, 132–144), Pudney (1969, 34–36), Algardi (1991).

  45. 45.

    Cervani (1990).

  46. 46.

    On the Commission see Chap. 2.

  47. 47.

    Birk (1925, 238–250).

  48. 48.

    Maltese (1978, 63–69).

  49. 49.

    The volume was published as an appendix to the weekly Austria, the French version appeared in the Journal des Deux Mers.

  50. 50.

    Foetterle (1857).

  51. 51.

    Negrelli to Revoltella, 26 June 1856, TMW, NN, 12_1336_000.

  52. 52.

    The Nachlaß contains one letter from Paleocapa to Negrelli, 6 June 1857, TMW, NN, 13_1407_000.

  53. 53.

    Negrelli to Caroline Negrelli, 26 June 1856, TMW, NN, 12_1337_000.

  54. 54.

    The Commission’s proceedings are in: Dupin (1858, 21–22).

  55. 55.

    Birk (1925, 279–284). Gatani (2000, 274–277).

  56. 56.

    Algardi (1988, 317–334).

  57. 57.

    Paleocapa (1857), Negrelli (1858a, 1858b). Birk (1925, 264–293).

  58. 58.

    Kirsch (1971), Algardi (1988, 334–350).

  59. 59.

    Scaglione (1971/1972: XIV–XXVII), Algardi (1988, 334–350).

  60. 60.

    In 2018 the exhibition L’épopée du canal de Suez. Des pharaons au XXI siècle at the Institute du Monde Arabe in Paris did not mention Negrelli at all. The articles on this exhibition in the Italian press rightly pointed out Negrelli’s role but still labelled him ‘Italian’. Fuganti (2018).

References

Abbreviations

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  1. Università di Trento, Trento, Italy

    Andrea Leonardi & Alice Riegler

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Correspondence to Andrea Leonardi .

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    Barbara Curli

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Leonardi, A., Riegler, A. (2022). Luigi Negrelli (1799–1858): A Tyrolean Engineer at the Heart of the Suez Canal Project. In: Curli, B. (eds) Italy and the Suez Canal, from the Mid-nineteenth Century to the Cold War. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-88255-6_7

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