The Atlantropa project was an ambitious geo-engineering project officially presented in 1928 by Herman Sörgel. The project proposed isolating the Mediterranean Sea by closing the Straits of Gibraltar, Suez and the Dardanelles, which would have lowered the water level due to evaporation. This would have allowed for new landmasses to be created, giving the Mediterranean states the opportunity to expand their lands without the need to clash with each other.
The biggest obstacle to the realization of the project was represented by Adolf Hitler, who already had in mind a series of architectural projects different from the one proposed by Sörgel. In addition, the Atlantropa project envisaged cooperation between states, which did not agree with the Führer's ideology about the need to conquer new living space for the German Reich.
In 1958, shortly after Sörgel's death, the Atlantropa Institute declared the project "outdated". Despite Sörgel's passion and enthusiasm for the project, it was never possible to implement it due to political differences and concerns about the consequences for port cities, such as Genoa or Trieste.
In conclusion, the Atlantropa project was an ambitious plan that had attracted the attention of the world for a long time, but ultimately it could not be implemented. However, the idea of creating new land remains an intriguing prospect to this day that could have a significant impact on people's lives in the future.
