Bazil Assan

Bazil George Assan (1 August 1860 – 16 June 1918) was a Romanian engineer, explorer and economist. Belonging to a wealthy family in Bucharest, Assan was an important figure in the industrialization of the Kingdom of Romania. He studied engineering, commerce and economics, which impulsed him to discover the globe. In 1896, he became the first Romanian to travel to the Arctic, and between 1897 and 1898, he became the first Romanian to travel around the world. His travels were later presented to King Carol I of Romania. Assan died on 16 June 1918 in Montreux, Switzerland.

Biography

Assan was born on 1 August 1860 in Bucharest to a rich family. His father, , a Romanian from Moldavia, settled in the city and built the first steam mill in Romanian history (known as the ) on the shore of the in 1853. His mother was Alexandrina Assan, who took charge of the company of the family since her spouse's death in 1866 until her son Assan replaced her in 1884. Gheorghe G. Assan, his brother who was born in 1862, studied commerce in Antwerp, Belgium, and held various positions in commercial and other institutions.

Not much is known about Assan's family. He married a Romani woman and had three daughters. Assan named them according to where he was when they were born. Thus, the first was called Athenaida after Athens, Consuella after Spain and Pacifica after the Pacific Ocean.

In 1904, Assan built a high grain silo, which became the tallest building in Bucharest at the time. He also built the first edible corn oil factory in the country. Between 1906 and 1914, he built a neoclassical house in Bucharest known as the . He died on 16 June 1918 in Montreux.

Expeditions Assan, stimulated by his knowledge of economics, commerce and industry, was greatly interested in discovering the world. Therefore, in the summer of 1896, he embarked on the Norwegian ship Erling Jarl and, along with other scientists of various nationalities, traveled to the Arctic. Assan and the scientists studied the geological structure and natural resources of the archipelago of Svalbard. Thus, he became the first Romanian to travel to the Arctic.

Afterwards, between 1897 and 1898, departing from Constanța, he passed through Constantinople, Alexandria, Ceylon, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Nagasaki, Tokyo, Yokohama, San Francisco, New York and London, establishing several trade agreements and becoming the first Romanian to travel around the world. His expeditions were published in the Royal Society of Geography of Romania, of which he was a member. After returning, he presented his conference Călătorie în regiunile polare nordice ("Journey in the northern Polar regions") to King Carol I and Prince Ferdinand I, and days later to the Queen Elisabeth of Wied. In 1899, he presented to the public Călătoria împrejurul Pământului ("Journey around the Earth"), his second conference. Between December 1897 and the middle of 1898, Assan made another trip, this time with more economic and cultural intentions.