A lecture by Prof. Dr. will be held at the Maritime Museum of Montenegro in Kotor on May 20th at XNUMX pm. Djordje Krivokapić as part of the project "Perast: Mobilising Competences", which will mark a major anniversary - exactly 150 years since the visit of the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Francis Joseph Bay of Kotor.
Between 2 and 9 May 1875, as part of a wider tour through Dalmatia, Istria and the Boka Bay, the Austrian Emperor stayed in Kotor, in an attempt to strengthen the loyalty of the southern provinces in light of the deep political upheavals following the unification of Germany and Italy. During that period, the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy sought to stabilize internal relations and preserve geopolitical interests on the edges of the empire, surrounded by the Ottomans, Montenegro and growing national movements. On that occasion, Franz Joseph spent the night in Kotor at the Grgurina Palace - today the seat of the Maritime Museum, where the lecture will be held.
"It is precisely at this symbolic place that original records and works of art created during that visit will be presented, as well as testimonies about the mood of the people, demands for economic relief and exemption from military service. Although the meeting with the local population and the Montenegrin Prince Nikola had diplomatic weight, the visit of Emperor Franz Joseph in 1875 did not bring long-term solutions. In the same year, an uprising broke out in Bosnia and Herzegovina, leading to new wars in the region and the Berlin Congress, at which everyone except the Ottomans received territorial expansions and Montenegro and Serbia received international recognition," the Maritime Museum announced.
Professor Krivokapi's lecture will, as they stated, shed light on the complex context in which an imperial visit became more than a gesture - an attempt at control, understanding, and influence in a turbulent and historically significant space.
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