#23 Rijeka – candidate city for ECoC 2020 Mystery Cache

Palača Jadran je najreprezentativnija građevina u Rijeci uz koju se od njezine izgradnje veže reputacija Rijeke kao pomorskog emporija kozmopolitskih razmjera. Građena je za sjedište prvog ugarskog pomorskog poduzeća Adria, osnovanog 1882. godine koje je u Rijeci započelo redovnu plovidbu trgovačke mornarice s početnim kapitalom od 2 500 000 fiorina i sedam brodova srednje tonaže. 

U to je vrijeme riječka luka bila neuređena, a austrijska konkurencija iz Trsta golema. Ipak se društvo od 1887. godine, uz suvremene načine rada i popunjavajući osoblje iskusnim primorskim pomorcima, a flotu modernim parobrodima, hrabro i moćno okrenulo prema budućnosti. Subvencije za Lloyd povećane su i usmjerene na Adriju, povećan je broj parobroda u redovnoj ili brzoj plovidbi koji su stizali u sve luke Zapada.

S otvaranjem novih linija rasla je potreba za reprezentativnim sjedištem, dostojanstvenim i impozantnim zdanjem iz kojeg će se upravljati Adrijom. Uključena u rizične odnose svjetske trgovine, Adria je povjeravala kormilo svojih brodova rukama naših morskih vukova, koji su držali krmu i tražili more s manje podvodnih grebena i vodili Adrijine brodove u svjetske luke Španjolske, zapadne Afrike, Tunisa, Alžira, Gibraltara i Messine. Ti su parobrodi kasnije plovili za Brazil, u Rio de Janeiro i Santos, izvozili panonsko žito, a u povratku uvozili kavu.

Adria je održavala linije za Liverpool, Glasgow, Antwerpen i Rotterdam. Ti su dodiri naših smjelih pomoraca sa svijetom proširivali njihove kulturne horizonte i osjećaj za kozmopolitizam. Upravo zbog ozbiljnosti naših pomoraca u svim lukama Zapada, Adria Steamship Company stekla je ugled ozbiljnog brodara. Kipovi pomoraca i simbolične figure kontinenata postavljene na pročeljima velebnog sjedišta Adrije, kao da su za ono i naše vrijeme znamenovali palaču sjedišta velike brodarske kompanije. Prenamjena tog zdanja nakon 1945. godine u Palaču Jadran nije mu oduzela smisao vjekovne poruke koja glasi: Ploviti se mora, živjeti se ne mora!

Budući da je Palača Adria trebala trajno simbolizirati brodarstvo, njen je graditelj, arhitekt Giacomo Zammatio naručio četiri visoka barokizirana kipa koji personificiraju glavna zanimanja moreplovaca: kapetana broda, zapovjednika stroja, kormilara i peljara. Prema saznanjima, ta četiri lika ujedno su i portreti četiri vodeća čovjeka Adrije. Tako je Emilio Curanda portretiran kao kormilar, a kao kapetan prikazan je direktor Adrije Ugo Eidlitz, obojica stupovi kompanije. Tada čuveni talijanski kipar Sebastiano Bonomi, autor tih radova, svih je osam izveo kvalitetno pa je svaki na svoj način umjetnički vrijedan. Budući da su postavljeni veoma visoko, naš pogled rijetko dopire do njih, pa se njihovoj simbolici i poruci rijetko divimo iako oni to zaslužuju.

Kipovi pomoraca su veoma upečatljivi i izražajni. Svaki je lik sinteza osebujnih značajki određene profesije, a sva četiri čine zajedničku cjelinu. Spomenik je to svim pomorcima što su ih odnjihali Rijeka i njena susjedna pomorska mjesta, Dalmacija i njeni otoci. Također, vrlo kvalitetne simbolične skulpture četiriju kontinenata označavaju itinerar riječkih brodova po svim svjetskim morima. Personifikacija Afrike prikazana je u liku Egipćanke, Azija u liku Japanke, Amerika u liku Indijanke i Europa u liku nordijskog ribara. 

Sa svake strane ulaznog portala u palaču postavljena je jedna gigantska figura Atlanta, moćnih nosača tereta, jakih pleća, nabreklih mišića, energične ekspresivne fizinomije, koji simbolički nose teret odgovornosti i težinu pomoračkih poduhvata. I te su masivne figure rad istoga skulptora, a od sveukupne arhitekturne plastike izrađene u Rijeci potkraj 19. stoljeća predstavljaju najkvalitetnije rukotvorine.

The Adriatic Pallace is the most representative building of Rijeka, adding since the time of its construction to the reputation of the town as a maritime trading centre of cosmopolitan character. It was erected to seat Hungarian first shipping company founded there in 1882 under the name of ‘Adria’, which started its regular merchant shipping with legal capital of 2,5 million Hungarian forints and seven medium-sized vessels.

At the time, the port of Rijeka required complete arrangement, whereas Austrian competition from Trieste was fierce. Nevertheless, starting from 1887 with modern business practices, engaging experienced local seafarers on its modern steamships, the company decided to face the future bravely and forcefully. Subsidies for Lloyd were increased to be allocated to ‘Adria’, the number of steamships was also increased in regular and express services calling at all the ports of the western world. The introduction of new shipping services was followed by the growing need for representative business premises in form of a strikingly imposing structure to seat the administration and management of the company. Involved in the risky worldwide trade, ‘Adria’ relied on local ‘old salts’ whose experience enabled them to sail through nags out to the ports of Spain, western Africa, Tunisia, Algeria, Gibraltar and Messina. Later on, those ships were engaged in the corn and coffee trade with Brazil, calling at Rio de Janeiro and Santos where their load of Panonian corn was replaced with coffee on their voyages homeward. ‘Adria’ used to call at Liverpool, Glasgow, Antwerp and Rotterdam.

Owing to contacts with the world, our bold seafarers were able to broaden their minds and develop cosmopolitan feelings. It was their soberness and full commitment they exercised in ports of the western world that acquired the renown of reliable owners for the Adria Steamship Company. It seems that seafarers’ statues and statues symbolizing different continents, decorating the fronts of the ‘Adria’ pallace, had determined its fate of business premises of a large shipping company at the very beginning. The changes introduced in 1945, when the building was renamed the Adriatic Pallace, have not affected the meaning of the old familiar saying: ‘Navigare necesse est, vivere non!’

The ’Adria’ Pallace having been meant to permanently symbolize the shipping trade, its architect Giacomo Zammatio ordered four high baroque…. statues to personify ship’s key figures: the master, chief engineer, helmsman, and pilot. According to sources, the four figures represented at the same time the four then leading persons of ‘Adria’. Thus, Emilio Curanda, one of the pillars within ‘Adria’, was portrayed as helmsman, and Ugo Eidlitz, director, as master. There are eight statues in total, each of them representing a real masterpiece of the famous Italian sculptor Sebastian Bonomi in one way or the other. Placed very high, they can escape passenger’s view easily, not allowing their symbolism and meaning to be admired the way they deserve. Seafarers’ statues are convincingly expressive, each one being a synthesis of specific features of a particular profession, and four of them making a complex whole. They stand as a monument in memory of all the seafarers cradled in Rijeka and its neighbouring places, in Dalmatia and the islands. The statues valuably symbolizing the four continents stand for ships’ sailing routes all over the globe. Africa is represented by an Egyptian woman, Asia by a Japanese woman, America by an Indian woman, and Europe by a Nordic fisherman statue. There are two giant Atlas statues, one on either side of the pallace doorway, characterized by strong backs, tense muscles, strong-minded expression, symbolically carrying great responsibilities and difficulties of seafarers’ duties. These massively built statues, performed by the same author, represent the best quality masterpieces of the complete architectural pieces of plastic art created in Rijeka at the end of 19th century.