Rodolfo Stoelcker: a german engineer-contractor in Italy in the first half of XXth century

The contract for the construction of the foundations of Ministry of Navy at Rome, built between 1914-1917 along the Tiber, represents for the engineer contractor Rodolfo Stoelcker the official entrance into the main construction sites of the Italian State. Born in 1880 at Ettenheim (Germany), Stoelcker is in Italy since March 1906, working as engineer of Wayss und Freytag di Neustadt an der Haardt; in 1912 he moves in Rome and found his company. Since 1920s, technical expertise and professional initiative have increased Stoelcker's competitiveness specially in the public works sector, supported and promoted by the fascist regime, with a decisive growth in the activity of his company spread over several Italian cities. The company's activity was not limited to the foundations and will see Stoelcker assisting well-known architects in creating architectures, often linked to infrastructure systems, such as bridges (road and rail), tanks, garages, water towers and more.