Maritime “Idyll”. Infrastructures, Capitalism, Maritime Modernity and Represantation ofEveryday Life During the “Hungarian Idyll” in Fiume (Rijeka), 1868-1914

The chapter aims to highlight the characteristics of Fiume’s (Rijeka) astonishing maritime development during the so-called “Hungarian idyll”. The chapter delves into the moral implications of Hungary’s investment in Fiume and the features of the “idyll”. It also explores the evolution of the logistics hub of Fiume, both in terms of railway and maritime infrastructure. In the third part, the chapter analyses the city’s maritime sector and its transition from sailing to steam navigation from a quantitative point of view. Finally, it examines how the representation of (modern) maritime everyday life took shape in Fiume. As for the Hungarians during the Second Industrial Revolution, by becoming “machine builders” they became familiar with the maritime element. It must be said that they suffered a certain delay compared to other European contexts, particularly in comparison to their Austrian “consort”. Nevertheless, this did not prevent them from catching up and making Fiume one of Europe’s most dynamic and interesting maritime and industrial centres from the last three decades of the nineteenth century until the First World War.