NEGRELLI

AUSTRIA (see also List of Individuals)

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23.1.1799 Primiero/I - 1.10.1858 Wien/A

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Luigi (Alois) Negrelli was born in the Trentino, then a province of the Austrian Empire. He studied at the Universities of Padova and Innsbruck until 1819. Then he joined the Austrian state service and was occupied with roads, bridges and hydraulic works mainly in Western Austria. He for instance prepared a hydrographic map of the Inn River and contributed to the regulation of River Rhine. Based on his diplomatic skills, he was called in 1832 to Switzerland to initiate public works, such as for the first railway projects. From 1841, he significantly developed railways in Austria and was the national representative for railroad questions.

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Negrelli met in 1836 Alexander von Humboldt, the famous natural scientist, and discussed with him the idea to connect the Mediterranean with the Red Sea. Negrelli prepared 10 years later his memorandum in which he explained the considerable advantages of such a canal in terms of economy. In the same year, an expert group between England, France, Austria and Germany visited the Isthmus. The French 1848 revolution put an end to these undertakings, however. Negrelli thus moved to Northern Italy to initiate works for railways from Milan towards Venice. The king awarded him in 1849 a Medal and conferred him the title Moldelbe. In 1854, the Egyptian Said Pasha took over reign, and Ferdinand de Lesseps (1805-1894) became a central figure in the Suez Canal project. The Maritime Canal Company was founded one year later with Negrelli as the Austrian representative. Two years later, he was appointed Inspector General of the canal works but he ruined his health by the many disputes that he had to support. Following a trip back to his capital, he passed away in Vienna. The Suez Canal was built in 10 years and inaugurated in 1869.

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_{Anonymous (1896). K.k. Ministerialrath Alois Negrelli Ritter von Moldelbe. Österreichische Monatsschrift für den Öffentlichen Baudienst 2: 268-270. P}

_{Birk, A. (1923). Die Geschichte des Suezkanals. Beiträge zur Geschichte der Technik 13: 17-29. Matis, H.W. (1975). Luigi Negrelli. Scienziati e tecnologi 2: 439-440. Mondadori: Milano. P Negrelli, A. (1846). Die gegenwärtigen Transportund Kommunikationsmittel Ägyptens mit Beziehung auf die beauftragte Durchstechung der Landenge von Suez. Wien.}

_{Ulrich, K. (1934). Aloisio Negrelli e le alluvioni del 1839. Rivista Tecnica della Svizzera Italiana 23: 114-118; 23: 127-131.}

_{Vischer, D. (1997). Luigi Negrelli - Oberingenieur der ersten schweizerischen Eisenbahn. Schweizer Ingenieur und Architekt 115(59): 1026-1028. P}