National icons by international engineers

More about this object

Visitado do Presidente da República Óscar Carmona, 1936

In countries where nationalist feelings did prevail, the regimes used engineers for the creation of national symbols, while these engineers often were inspired by other European icons.  

In Portugal, for instance, technical accomplishments were used for the image of a thriving Portugal. In 1889 the Alviela Canal, the aqueduct that propelled Lisbon into urban modernity, was opened with a glorious ceremony. A Portuguese newspaper called it “an eternal monument reminding us of the audacity and intelligence of those who planned it and built it.”

While the Portuguese government tried to create national icons, the engineers mostly took inspiration for their work outside the borders. For example, the Isabel II Canal in Madrid, which was a symbol for Spanish prosperity in 1858.

Another example is the Gileppe Dam in the Ardennes from 1878, a Belgian national symbol which inspired the German engineer Otto Intze for a dam in the Alsace.

Furthermore, the Gotthard Tunnel became a symbol of Swiss pride in 1882, even though the building committee, as well as the engineers, were international.

Engineers became famous for their work, but perhaps their creations became even more important for the development of national pride. The fact that most of these engineers worked internationally to create those works did not seem to matter.

How to cite this page

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'National icons by international engineers ', Inventing Europe, http://www.inventingeurope.eu/story/national-icons-by-international-engineers

Sources

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  1. Trischler, Helmuth and Martin Kohlrausch, Building Europe on Expertise. Innovators, Organizers, Networkers, London: Palgrave, 2013.
  2. Saraiva, Tiago, 'Inventing the Technologial Nation: The Example of POrtugal (1851-1898', History and Technology 23 (2007) 263-274.

About this tour

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Myth of the National Engineer(oude versie)

Many engineers were displayed as ‘national heroes’ during the rise of nationalism in Europe. Governments needed their technical expertise for grand projects, which would affirm their international position in the competition of nation states. This tour will show that in reality engineers werenot very nationally oriented and did not always get the label of a hero. In the end,the idea of them being national heroes is essentially a myth.