ENGINEER DANE MATOŠIĆ

U članku se opisuje život jednog člana stare i ugledne splitske obitelji te njegov prinos izgradnji infrastrukturnih objekata u gradu Splitu i širem okruženju. Ocjenjuje se uloga ing. Matošića u unaprjeđivanju stručne misli u vrijeme ubrzanih i korjenitih društvenih promjena. Podaci se temelje ponajprije na kazivanju članova obitelji, sačuvanim osobnim dokumentima te vijestima iz tiska.The city of Split went through a rapid demographic expansion after the World War I, which called for a swift reconstruction of both the city and the traffic system. Dane Matošić, together with many colleagues from the field, participated in its reconstruction. Dane Matošić was born in Split in 1881. He graduated from Vienna Technical College in 1909. He participated in the war. When the war ended, he returned to Split and participated in many activities related to his field of expertise. During the World War II, he was imprisoned by the authorities of the Independent State of Croatia. During the Italian occupation, he was transferred to the island of Lipari, near Sicily. After liberation he returned to Split. The socialist authorities confiscated his assets, which furtherly aggravated his health condition. He died in poverty in 1951. Dane was an extremely socially active individual. He was one of the leaders of Jadranska straža, the organisation that strongly opposed Italy’s territorial pretensions towards the Croatian part of the Adriatic. He stood for the prosperity of the theatre and its opera when they went through the period of crisis. He was highly respected by the citizens of Split. As a town councellor, Dane successfully dealt with the construction of the cemetery in Tršćenica. He was also a memeber of the Masonic organization as many other distinguished people of the time. The lodge was situated in his house in Lučac. Dane also actively participated in the activities of the hunters association, reserve officers association and cooperative society Ribar. The international tender for the best Town Regulation Plan was opened by the Town Council in 1923 and Dane Matošić was a member of the jury in charge of selecting the best plan. He was a registered engineer and owned a firm. He was in charge of building concrete and reinforced concrete constructions for maritime works. As a young professional, he was in charge of a complex construction of the eastern part of the Prokurativa Square. His most important works also include the constructions of the eastern part of the city harbour, the stone staircase connecting two sides of the Marjan hill and the big plateau on the top of Marjan in 1924. Dane Matošić was particularly interested in the possibility of connecting Split, by the railway, with the continental part of the country. He himself carried out the construction works on the portion of the Lika railway that was open for traffic in 1925. He designed two residential buildings in the Lučac suburb: the first building – his own building, was built in 1931, and the second one, designed for his brother, in 1935. Since the existing city harbour became small for the ever-increasing domestic and transit international traffic, some suggestions were made regarding the construction of the new harbour in the Kaštela Bay. Dane Matošić thought of this as a long-term proposal, and suggested that the existing harbour should have been adapted to meet the requirements of increasing traffic. D. Matošić showed a keen interest in the historic core of Split: the international tender to build several new houses in the front of Diocletian’s Palace was open. Austrian architect Alfred Keller won the tender. Matošić also took part in rescuing valuables and works of art from the fire in the Diocese building. Sadly, the building was destroyed in the fire. Matošić was also a member of the Municipal Decoration Commitee that consisted of the distinguished professionals in the field of architecture. The Commitee decided on the location and the appearance of new buildings. Although he lived in turbulent times, D. Matošić was energetic and versatile. Even in hard times, although often disappointed, he managed to make his mark