A lecture titled “Croats on the Suez Canal” will be held at the Crikvenica City Museum on Thursday, 29 October, starting at 18:00. The lecture will be delivered by university professor and fellow citizen Dr sc. Robert Lončarić of Zadar, and is organised by the Crikvenica City Museum and the Croatian Emigrants' Association – Rijeka Branch. The event will take place in the museum premises at 1 Preradovićeva Street in Crikvenica.
The Suez Canal is located in Egypt and connects the Mediterranean and Red Seas. It was built between 1859 and 1869 under the leadership of French diplomat and entrepreneur Ferdinand de Lesseps. Approximately 1.5 million people participated in this endeavour, including around 3,000 Croats. Among the workers on the canal were people from various Croatian regions, from the Kvarner and Croatian Littoral to Dubrovnik and the Bay of Kotor, with residents of Grižane, Bribir, Selce and Novo Vinodolsko being particularly prominent. According to historical data, as many as 105 residents of Selce were working on the canal construction in 1867.
The move to work in Egypt was linked to difficult economic conditions in the mid-19th century, as agriculture and fishing often did not provide sufficient income for residents of coastal areas. Employment on the large international construction site represented an opportunity to improve living conditions, and the canal construction triggered one of the earlier major waves of emigration from the Croatian Littoral. Workers, seamen and specialists from various parts of the Croatian coast and the Bay of Kotor participated in the construction project.
Lončarić will present the historical circumstances, geographical conditions and economic reasons that led to the construction of the canal, as well as the experiences of Croatian workers who participated in the creation of this artificial maritime passage at the crossroads of Europe, Africa and Asia. He will pay special attention to Andrija Lončarić, his namesake, who, according to his research, was a close collaborator of Ferdinand de Lesseps. Andrija Lončarić was honoured with the task of activating the final mine that blasted through the last section of the canal, thereby enabling the connection of the Mediterranean and Red Seas, and was rewarded for his contribution.
Professor Lončarić has been dealing with this topic by researching the historical circumstances of Croatian emigration and the participation of people from the eastern Adriatic coast in major international projects. He has also spoken about Croatian involvement in the construction of the Suez Canal in an episode of the Croatians Online portal. Research on this topic is ongoing, with the aim of gathering additional historical sources and personal stories that could be compiled into a future book.
