East Adriatic Sailing Ships Trade in the 19th Century – Peak and Decline (IsTraJ19)

Istočnojadranska trgovina na jedrenjacima u 19. stoljeću – vrhunac i pad (IsTraJ19)

University of Zadar

IsTraJ19 is a two-year project of the University of Zadar that focuses on a crucial period in the maritime history of the eastern Adriatic when the transition from sailing to steam navigation occurs. This transition is significant from technical, technological, economic, social, political, and psychological perspectives. The specified period marks the peak of millennia-old sailing trade on a global scale, overlapping in time with the increasing presence of steamships and their technological advancement. Eastern Adriatic sailing trade is not confined to that region; it is integrated into the global maritime trade system, thus being present in the Mediterranean and most oceans. In this way, the qualification "Eastern Adriatic" only denotes the spatial origin of sailboats, shipowners, captains, and sailors, rather than exclusive navigation and trade territory. Reflecting global maritime trends at the local level and involving local forces in global movements are fundamental hypotheses in conceiving this project.