Description

This rare, attractive lithographed folding map of the line between Ljubljana and Trieste on the Southern Austrian Railroad, was published in Ljubljana by Jožef Blaznik, possibly at the occasion of the inauguration of the line. The map is dedicated to Gustav Ignaz von Chorinsky (1806- 1873), a Austrian politician from a Moravian noble family, who held the position of stadtholder of Crain between 1850 and 1860, and a year before the opening of the railroad accompanied the emperor Franz Joseph I on the travel along the newly constructed parts of the line.

The view under the cartouche showcases the Borovnica Viaduct (Franzdorfer Viadukt) south-west from Ljubljana, which was at the time the longest construction of such kind in Europe. The tunnel depicted on the right-hand side and dedicated to the emperor was constructed in the series of the other tunnels in the mountainous the last part of railroad above Trieste.

The railroad Vienna – Trieste was one of the most important engineering achievements of the 19th century in Austro-Hungary, connecting its capital with its vital port city and economic center.
First plans for the construction of the railroad Vienna-Trieste were made in 1837, but the construction did not start until 1839. The rail was built in separate pieces, due to demanding terrain. The first obstacle was a mountain pass Semmering in Austria, on the track Vienna-Graz, ending at the town Mürzzuschlag. The Semmering Railroad was not finished until 1854 and still remains one of the most impressive rail routes in Europe. The track between Mürzzuschlag and Graz was finished in 1844 after two years of construction, followed by the rest of the rail until August 1849. The direct connection between Vienna and Ljubljana was only inaugurated in 1854.

The prolongation of the railroad from Ljubljana to Trieste was planned through an unstable terrain of the limestone hilly grounds of the Karst region between the two cities. The leading engineers and geologists were responsible for the construction of bridges, viaducts and tunnels, many of which are still admired today.

The Borovnica Viaduct (Franzdorfer Viadukt), depicted on our map, was constructed in 1856 and was the longest viaduct in Europe. It was demolished it WWII.

The first train from Ljubljana to Trieste ran on July 12th, 1857, for which occasion we assume our map was made.

Already in November 1856, the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I and his wife Elisabeth made an official visit to the railroad, travelling from Vienna, through Ljubljana to Trieste. Gustav Ignaz von Chorinsky, at the time the stadtholder of Crain greeted them as a leader of the delegation and later prepared a printed report. They travelled together by train to Postojna, from where the emperor continued to Trieste by coach, as the railroad was still under construction, The emperor personally thanked Chorinsky for the excellent reception, prepared by him and his wife,  in a public letter, published in newspapers.
The map was lithographed by Jožef Blaznik (1800–1872) in Ljubljana. Blaznik was running the largest printing press in Ljubljana in the Crain, at the time in Austria, and was responsible for publication of all the leading newspapers and important first editions. Maps from the Blaznik press are exceedingly rare.

We could find two institutional examples of this map (National and University Library in Ljubljana and Austrian National Library).

References: OCLC 780582994 Cf Grum, Martin: Blaznik, Jožef (1800–1872). Slovenska biografija. Slovenska akademija znanosti in umetnosti, Znanstvenoraziskovalni center SAZU, 2013. http://www.slovenska-biografija.si/oseba/sbi143410/#novi-slovenski-biografski-leksikon (30. september 2020). Izvirna objava v: Novi Slovenski biografski leksikon: 2. zv. B-Bla. Ur. Barbara Šterbenc Svetina et al. Ljubljana, Znanstvenoraziskovalni center SAZU, 2017. Šlebinger, Janko: Blaznik, Jožef (1800–1872). Slovenska biografija. Slovenska akademija znanosti in umetnosti, Znanstvenoraziskovalni center SAZU, 2013. http://www.slovenska-biografija.si/oseba/sbi143410/#slovenski-biografski-leksikon (30. september 2020). Izvirna objava v: Slovenski bijografski leksikon: 1. zv. Abraham – Erberg. Izidor Cankar et al. Ljubljana, Zadružna gospodarska banka, 1925.