Alois Negrelli was born Luigi Negrelli as the seventh of ten children to an Italian-speaking father and a German-speaking mother in
Fiera di Primiero (German ) in the
Dolomites. The village is situated in the
Trentino (), once the south of the
County of Tyrol (then with the
Austrian Empire, today in northern
Italy). Being in part of
Welschtyrolean heritage (
Romance-speaking southern Tyroleans), the father and one of his older sisters actively supported the
Tyrolean Rebellion of 1809, led by
Andreas Hofer against the occupation of their homeland by
French and
Bavarian troops. Alois's father was held prisoner for years, finally returning home in 1814. The family, having lost a substantial part of their wealth, struggled at first to enable good education and safe livelihood for Alois and his siblings. This toil was facilitated by governmental authorities in recognition of their commitment. He moved to Switzerland in 1832 and took part in the erection of various constructions in the
Canton of St. Gallen. In 1835, Negrelli was called to
Zürich, where he continued with similar activity, notably working on the
Münsterbrücke (Munster Bridge) crossing the
Limmat together with
Ferdinand Stadler, who was responsible for the carpentry. Stone bridges were still built over a wooden timber frame at this time. He also created the new
Kornhaus (granary) in 1839 which later became the first
Tonhalle (concert hall) of Zürich. In 1895 it was replaced by a newly constructed
second building for this purpose.
Railway construction Beginning in 1836 Negrelli started planning a first railway line in this country. The
Swiss Northern Railway was built years later in 1846 from Zürich to
Baden, Switzerland, under his supervision. At around this time he was also appointed to different governmental commissions, working for other cantons. During a journey to England, France and Belgium he, like many other engineers, studied recent advances in railway construction and subsequently published his ideas of adapting this technology to mountainous regions in papers, receiving wide attention in the industry. In 1837 he advocated the creation of the railway Innsbruck–
Kufstein in Tyrol and made preliminary plans for it, upon which the project was later based. Negrelli returned to working in Austria in 1840. He was chosen as inspector general for the private
Emperor Ferdinand Northern Railway, and the
Northern State Railway in 1842. He was responsible for the construction of the railway lines from
Vienna via
Prague to the German border in direction of
Dresden, and via
Ostrava to the Polish border in direction of
Kraków. Negrelli prepared the railway to the then Austrian
Lviv and the extension to the Russian border further east. He led the construction of the
Negrelli Viaduct between 1846 and 1849, a railway bridge crossing the
Vltava (Moldau) river in Prague, with 1,110 m the longest bridge of its kind in Europe until 1910 Negrelli's authority in railway matters was of particular relevance in the process of decisions to have the mountainous
Semmering railway built by a fellow engineer,
Carl von Ghega, in 1848 and his advice was requested for projects by various other states like the
Kingdom of Württemberg and the
Kingdom of Saxony in Germany. In 1846 he had been invited by
Barthélemy Prosper Enfantin to the
Société d'Études du Canal de Suez and took part in the exploration tour to the isthmus of Suez in 1847. Because of the outbreak of
revolutions of 1848 and the following years, and other circumstances the had to cease activities, Negrelli himself being sent to Lombardy–Venetia at that time. In 1855 Negrelli was invited by
Ferdinand de Lesseps to participate again, now in the
International Commission for the piercing of the isthmus of Suez (). Consisting of thirteen experts from seven countries who were to examine the plans made by
Linant de Bellefonds it had to advise on the feasibility of and on the best route for a canal project. Negrelli formed part of the surveying group travelling to Egypt in late 1855 and early 1856. In the final deliberations of the commission in Paris at the end of June 1856, his principal ideas of a canal without
locks and a northern entry further to the west prevailed. The Suez Canal project, as the first of its kind in modern times, caused headlines. Since the had presented their report in 1856 critics were agitating against it to a great degree, among them
Robert Stephenson, son of railway pioneer George Stephenson. Negrelli and others declared active support. The quarrel between defenders and repudiators went on for a time, this exchange was followed by publications throughout Europe, especially in France, Austria and the United Kingdom. Negrelli was prevented from travelling to Egypt another time and meeting with Lesseps, who went to London, in June 1858. Feeling unwell, he used his leave from work to stay in a health resort for recovery. On the way back, Negrelli was able to attend a congress on railway development held in
Trieste before he arrived at home in
Vienna. Already seriously ill by September, he managed to write one last reply on the comments of Stephenson. Negrelli's response was published in the
Oesterreichische Zeitung (
Austrian Gazette) on 26 September 1858. Alois Negrelli von Moldelbe died in the morning hours of 1 October 1858 at age 59, probably from food poisoning causing bacterial infection. His death occurred only weeks shy of witnessing the establishment of the Suez Canal Company, and just half a year before the works on the canal project were to officially begin. Negrelli was first buried at the
St. Marx Cemetery, but later moved to the
Vienna Central Cemetery in 1929. In his book
Transportation and Communication of Egypt, Negrelli wrote in 1856 about the Suez Canal: The connection of the two seas by a maritime canal, shortening the route between Europe and the rich countries of the Old World located at the Indian Ocean, not only for the development of global trade but also for the increase of
cabotage (domestical shipping) for Egypt, related to the prosperity of inbound welfare to this country so blessed, is an undeniable necessity. ==Selected works==