Nataša Urošević

Senior Fellow in the cluster Knowledge transfer and concepts of Europe

Between the European center and the periphery: Dimensions of Europeanisation and urban transformation of Adriatic Ports

The research project deals with the results of the processes of urbanization, industrialization and modernization of the Adriatic ports on the Central European peripheries as well as with the impact of scientific and cultural transfers which enabled periods of accelerated development, intensive production and circulation of knowledge and creation of (trans)national identities.

Processes of cultural, scientific and knowledge transfer of texts, discourses, objects and practices between European centre and peripheries intensified in the period of Enlightenment, which as a cultural movement of European intellectuals focused on social reforms and scientific revolution (which followed the industrial and political revolution), marked the beginning of a modern civil society and the development of backward traditional structures, towards a democratic conception of the state and the emergence of liberalism with its concept of human and civil rights.
The dynamic historical context, characterized by the decline of Turkish power, the stagnation of Venetian power and the Austrian drive for expansion, has enabled intensive communication, cultural exchange and reflection of European intellectual movements also in the Eastern Adriatic. Enlightenment ideas influenced Croatian regions under Habsburg or Venice rule in various ways. While the Adriatic coast was more influenced by the Venetian and, indirectly, the French and English Enlightenment, continental regions were affected by reforms of enlightened absolutism under Maria Theresa.

Because of their important geostrategic function and position, the ports in Rijeka and Pula particularly developed: Rijeka as a commercial port and Pula as the main Austrian naval port. 

After demilitarization and de-industrialization, the huge industrial complexes in Rijeka are being transformed into cultural districts as part of the European Capital of Culture project, while for the former military zones in Pula new civil, cultural and scientific functions are sought. The research project, based on the archival research, will elaborate current dynamics and the need to revitalize strategic infrastructure of Adriatic ports in the broader Central European context.