A LONG JOURNEY TO THE "IRON ROAD"

Abstract

During the first half of the 19th century, Europe slowly became dotted with silver stripes of railroads. The invention of the steam engine in 1769 marked the beginning of rapid industrial development and mass production. The world began to change. In Serbia at that time, the issue of promoting trade and export of domestic, mainly agricultural products, as well as import of foreign goods and transit was seriously considered. In 1833, the document "Report on the way to improve trade between Serbia and foreign and European countries" was drawn up. It analyses the type and origin of goods that are imported and exported, and Belgrade is recognized as the meeting place of all trade routes. In this document, the "iron road" - railway is mentioned for the first time in Serbia and in the Serbian language, although it is not about the intention to build it in Serbia, but as a connection with Germany. The first mention of the hypothetical "iron road" in Serbia dates back to 1842. It is a report published in "Srpske novine" dated March 24, 1842, which refers to the construction of a wooden bridge over the Morava near Ćuprija and which contains a proposal for the construction of a road. The author of the report hints at the construction of an "iron road" and a steam train, but only as a dream about the future. A congress was held in Berlin in the period from June 13 to July 13, 1878, which was attended by representatives of the great powers: Austria-Hungary, Italy, Germany, Great Britain, Russia and France, as well as four Balkan countries: Serbia, Greece, Romania and Montenegro, which had the right to attend, but not to participate directly. Serbia's obligation was to build, connect and exploit the projected railway lines that will extend to the old border near Aleksinac and beyond, towards Belova and, on the other hand, towards the Thessaloniki - Kosovska Mitrovica railway, which was built in 1874 as part of the arrangement between Turkey and Baron Hirš. At the same time, Serbia was obliged to build and operate the Belgrade-Nis railway. The convention obliged Austria-Hungary to, within the same period, connect its railway network with the newly built Serbian one. Belgrade has been designated as the place where the two railway networks will be connected. Both signatories agreed to make joint efforts in the negotiations regarding the connection with Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire.