Presenting Dalmatia: the Role of Artistic and Natural Heritage during the Visit of Emperor and King Francis Joseph I in 1875.

Abstract

The journey of Emperor and King Francis Joseph I to Dalmatia in spring 1875 was officially promoted in monarchical publications as an expression of the ruler’s desire to instigate economic development in Dalmatia as the most backward province, but the visit was primarily motivated by political reasons. The new narrative about Dalmatia presented it as a sleepy and neglected country with a rich past and artistic heritage, loyal to the ruler and the monarchy, and thus a desirable target for economic investments. Numerous travelogues and reports published for the occasion provide detailed historical descriptions of Dalmatia’s urban centres and their monuments in order to attract the public attention in the Monarchy and Europe alike. In addition to detailed descriptions of the emperor’s itinerary, they provide numerous assessments of Dalmatia’s heritage, with a catalogue of museums, churches, and private collections, illustrating the modernity of the local collectors. In the following decades, these publications also generated Dalmatia’s awareness of the value of its own cultural-monumental heritage and the need to preserve it.