After spending some time looking for one special item on Dalmatian history;

“PANORAMA della Costa e delle Isole di DALMAZIA” or “Panorama of the coast and islands of Dalmatia”, I finally managed to find and purchase it.

It is an illustrated view of the Dalmatian coast from Pula to Budva dating back to 1850. Unique in its form but also importance, it is a fantastic document showcasing the majestic beauty of this special part of the world!

Lloyd Austriaco

“Lloyd Austriaco” or “Austrian Lloyd” was founded in 1833. by 19 sea transport insurance companies, banking houses and numerous individual shareholders. It’s name derives from the more well known “British Lloyd”. On the 20th of April 1836. the steam-navigation department was introduced, building six steamships the same year. It’s widely considered to be the company’s founding year. It enjoyed privileges at the Austro-Hungarian court which caused great trouble for the sailing fleets of Dalmatian towns. Their modern steamships with great performance found no competition in the region.

The company introduced it’s flagship “Vorwärts” in 1849. The name of the ship translates to “steaming ahead” and eventually becomes the company’s motto.
The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. allowed the “Austrian Lloyd” to launch lines to Bombay (1869.), Colombo (1879.), Singapore and Hong-Kong (1880.). The company operated a total of 86 ships in 1886. Between the 1870s and 1890s, a rebranding occurs, renaming to “Austro-Hungarian Lloyd.”
The “Austrian Lines” started operating leisure cruises in 1907. and moved its headquarters from Trieste to Vienna the same year. The introduction of the line to Shangai in 1912. was the last important event in the company’s earlier history. It was shut down in 1918. and after WW1, was given to Italy where it operated under the name of “Lloyd Triestino.”

End of an Era

There existed no Austrian deep-sea shipping companies in the interwar period. The “Austrian Lloyd” was reintroduced under the name of “Oesterreichischer Lloyd Ship Management” in 1951. Its first fully-owned ship, MS Arlberg, was launched in 1978. The company as of today has offices in Austria, Germany, Cyprus, Malta, Greece and Lebanon.

By the end of the 1930s “Lloyd Triestino” emerged once again as a major world shipping power, owning a fleet of 85 vessels. The company experienced great losses in WW2. During the war it lost 68 ships and 1,000 sailors.

In 1993. it entered a partnership with the Taiwanese shipping giant, “Evergreen Marine Corporation”. On March 1st 2006. “Lloyd Triestino” changes it’s name to “Italia Marittima”. Ship names are gradually being changed from the prefix “LT” to “Ital” to reflect this change (e.g., LT Cortesia and Ital Contessa). The once mighty company still operates to this day.

Here is more on the company and it’s great promotion art: http://www.levantineheritage.com/lloyd-triestino-line.html

Dalmatia and the Panorama

Obviously, the Dalmatian coast was the place where the company found it’s beginnings. In 1870. about 80% of the staff was Croatian. The Dalmatian coast was not always hospitable and the sailors depended on maps and panoramas such as this one no matter how unreliable they may seem to us.

I wrote previously about one accident in Šibenik when one of Lloyd’s ships sunk in the city harbor: https://atomic-temporary-6581387.wpcomstaging.com/2012/01/22/pictures-of-old-sibenik/

The images of this panorama were printed on 168×245 mm paper, and put together into a 11,85 m strip by sticking. The strip was folded into 41 leaves and bound in a cardboard cover.

This is one of the best representations of our coast from the 19th century and a fantastic document preserving one more romantic era. The details are mesmerizing! It is a great addition to my fine collection of unique maps and graphics on Dalmatia.