Luigi Negrelli (1799-1858): a Tyrolean engineer at the heart of the Suez Canal project

This essay 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 19th 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 20th 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.