Vid Morpurgo (1838–1911) was a
Dalmatian industrialist, publisher, politician and member of a notable
Split
Split(s) or The Split may refer to:
Places
* Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia
* Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay
* Split Island, Falkland Islands
* Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua
Arts, enterta ...
family Morpurgo.
Early years and family
Morpurgo was born on 7 May 1838 in
Split
Split(s) or The Split may refer to:
Places
* Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia
* Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay
* Split Island, Falkland Islands
* Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua
Arts, enterta ...
, Croatia to a well-known
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
family of David-Elija and Anetta (
née
A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
Gentili) Morpurgo. His great-great-grandfather David-Vita moved to Split in 1774 from
Maribor
Maribor ( , , , ; also known by other #Name, historical names) is the second-largest city in Slovenia and the largest city of the traditional region of Styria (Slovenia), Lower Styria. It is also the seat of the City Municipality of Maribor, th ...
(
Ger.: Marburg),
Slovenia
Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...
. He chose his surname ''Morpurgo'' from the Italian version of the German ''Marburger'' (i.e. someone from Marburg). From 1846 to 1849 Morpurgo attended and finished elementary school in Split. Later he attended the Royal grammar school in Split from which he graduated in 1856.
Political and business career
![Annuario Dalmatico](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/Annuario_Dalmatico.jpg)
After completing his education, Morpurgo was employed at the library which was co-owned by his father and his business partner Petar Savo. There Morpurgo developed bookseller activity enabling him partnership with numerous foreign publishing houses. In 1855 he traveled to
Trieste
Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into provi ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
to sign contracts with booksellers and publishers. In 1860 Morpurgo founded his own bookstore "Libreria Morpurgo succ. Savo" by buying out Savo's shares. In 1861 he started the first
interlibrary loan
Interlibrary loan (abbreviated ILL, and sometimes called interloan, interlending, document delivery, document supply, or interlibrary services, abbreviated ILS) is a service where patrons of one library can borrow materials and receive photocopies ...
in Split. In 1862 bookstore was renamed to "Libreria Morpurgo". In 1859 Morpurgo published the ''Annuario Dalmatico'' (''Dalmatian Yearly'') and in 1861 he published the second volume which in contrast to the first volume discussed the political problems in the country. During 1861 out of ten political publications released in Split, five were published by Morpurgo. During that time he also published the variety of commemorative books and brochures.
Morpurgo's bookstore, from the very beginning of its activity, was the headquarters of the
People's Party, where young intellectuals, inspired by the ideas of the ''Hrvatski narodni preporod'' (''Croatian national revival''), held their meetings. Morpurgo was an informal organizer and adviser of the People's Party. Morpurgo was involved in starting the independent Croatian weekly newspaper ''
Narodni list
''Narodni list'' ( en, people's paper) is an independent Croatian weekly newspaper published in Zadar, founded in 1862, making it the oldest in Croatia. ''Narodni list'', being independent, has a reputation of writing about things other newspapers ...
'' (''People's paper''). He took upon himself the administration and management of the newspaper, and also wrote the articles, mainly against the mayor
Antonio Bajamonti
Antonio Baiamonti (19February 182213January 1891) was an Austrian and Dalmatian Italian politician and longtime mayor of Split. He is remembered as one of the most successful mayors of the city, occupying the post almost continuously for twenty ...
Autonomist Party
The Autonomist Party ( it, Partito Autonomista; hr, Autonomaška stranka) was an Italian-Dalmatianist political party in the Dalmatian political scene, that existed for around 70 years of the 19th century and until World War I. Its goal was ...
policies. Morpurgo was often targeted by the Autonomist Party supporters who repeatedly physically attacked him in the street (in July 1867, July 1868 and during the summer 1870). In 1870 Morpurgo was elected representative of the People's Party in the
Diet of Dalmatia
The Diet of Dalmatia ( hr, Dalmatinski sabor, it, Dieta della Dalmazia) was the regional assembly of the Kingdom of Dalmatia within the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It was founded in Zadar in 1861 and last convened in 1912, before being formally diss ...
, assembly of the
Kingdom of Dalmatia
The Kingdom of Dalmatia ( hr, Kraljevina Dalmacija; german: Königreich Dalmatien; it, Regno di Dalmazia) was a crown land of the Austrian Empire (1815–1867) and the Cisleithanian half of Austria-Hungary (1867–1918). It encompassed the entir ...
.
In 1875, Morpurgo founded the first steam brick factory in Split. At home and abroad he was known for his alcoholic beverages company "Morpurgo", largest
distillery
Distillation, or classical distillation, is the process of separating the components or substances from a liquid mixture by using selective boiling and condensation, usually inside an apparatus known as a still. Dry distillation is the heati ...
in Dalmatia. In 1905 Morpurgo merged with
Emil Stock
Emilio Stock (1868–1951) was an Italian industrialist and businessman of Jewish origin.
Stock was born in Split on 3 August 1868 to Abramo and Gentile (née Valenzin) Stock, as one of 12 children. Stock's paternal Ashkenazi Jewish family origi ...
to found the alcoholic beverages company "Morpurgo, Stock e Comp." New company got the franchise to build the new liquor factory near Split (today part of Split). Factory concession was challenged by the municipal prefect Vicko Mihaljević due to environmental issues. Some attributed this problem to the political conflict (Mihaljević was member of the
Party of Rights
The Party of Rights ( hr, Stranka prava) was a Croatian nationalism, Croatian nationalist political party in Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia and later in Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.
It was founded in 1861 by Ante Starčević and Eugen Kv ...
) between Morpurgo and municipal authorities. Due to the disappointment of failing to get the concession, Morpurgo and Stock built the factory in
Rovinj
Rovinj (; it, Rovigno; Istriot: or ; grc, Ρυγίνιον, Rygínion; la, Ruginium) is a city in Croatia situated on the north Adriatic Sea with a population of 14,294 (2011). Located on the western coast of the Istrian peninsula, it is a po ...
, Croatia.
Morpurgo was also the elected vice president of the "Split Trade Chamber" and later its president. In 1870 Morpurgo co-founded the ''Prva pučka dalmatinska banka'' (''First people's Dalmatian bank'') in order to help Dalmatian farmers regain material independence from the mostly autonomist (members of the Autonomist Party) landowners, small capitalists and usurers who were lending money to farmers and during elections forced them to vote for the Autonomist Party. The bank initially operated in the Morpurgo's bookstore, as he was the first vice-president and later a president.
Death and legacy
Morpurgo died on 31 January 1911 in Split. He was buried at the
Old Jewish Cemetery on
Marjan hill
Marjan () is a hill on the peninsula of the city of Split, the second largest city of Croatia. It is covered in a dense Mediterranean pine forest and completely surrounded by the city and the sea, making it a unique sight. Originally used as a ...
.
[ Novi Omanut (Prilog židovskoj povijesti i kulturi); Jadranka Brnčić; Napokon proučeni život i djelo Luciana Morpurga; stranica 3; broj 113, rujan – listopad 2012.]
Today many historians agree that Morpurgo's political ideas were aimed at the awakening of Croatian national consciousness, improving the economy of Dalmatia, education and cultural upliftment of its citizens. As a trader, bookseller, banker, publisher and columnist, Morpurgo dedicated his life to the People's Party goals.
Bibliography
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morpurgo, Vid
1838 births
1911 deaths
Politicians from Split, Croatia
People from the Kingdom of Dalmatia
Croatian Jews
Austro-Hungarian Jews
Croatian Austro-Hungarians
Croatian people of German-Jewish descent
People's Party (Dalmatia) politicians
Croatian businesspeople
Croatian bankers
Croatian writers