See also: Venice (homonymy)

Venice ( Venetian Venezsia in , Italian Venezia in ) is a city of the North-East of Italy and capital of the area of the Venezia, in the Plaine of Po. Sit during eleven centuries (697-1797) of one of the most prestigious European States, the République of Venice, it is famous for its channels, its Place Saint-Marc, his Palais of the Doges like his carnival. Venice counts: 268934 inhabitants end 2006.

Venice and its lagoon are registered with the world heritage UNESCO.

History

See also: History of Venice, Chronology of Venice

The area at the north-western end of the Adriatic Sea, where several rivers resulting from the the Alps are thrown, is inhabited as of the Antiquité by Pêcheur S, Marinier S and salt maker S. This zone belonged to area X created by Auguste; Aquilée - on the dry land - was the religious and harbor center important.

The invasions of the Goths of Alaric I {{er}} and of the Huns of Attila push the local populations to take refuge in the islands of the marshes located along the Adriatic Sea, close to the delta of the Po. In 452, a first establishment is rested by refugees of Padoue and Aquilée. The area was integrated, thereafter, into the kingdom of the Ostrogoths then reconquered with the remainder of the Italy by the Roman Empire of the East under Justinien I {{er}}.

The town of Venice was founded towards the end of the 6th century by inhabitants of the close areas come to take refuge of number in the islands from the lagoon formed by the Estuaire of the Po after the invasion of the Italy of north by the Lombards in 568. Indeed, this zone Marécage uses had remained under the jurisdiction of the Exarchat de Ravenne, therefore in theoretical dependence of the Roman Empire of the East. It was thus an outpost of the Byzantine civilization, but progressively by its development, the will of autonomy increased until leading to the Indépendance.

The weakness of the Exarchat de Ravenne vis-a-vis the Lombards supported the emergence of a local authority incarnated by the first duke or “doge”, Paolucio Anafesto (697-717), character with the borders of the legend and the history. The town of Venice became really independent only after the departure of the Byzantines of Italy of north. The City-State was pressed on the sea to extend its capacity.

See also: Republic of Venice

The commercial dynamism involved a strong growth of the city. It was necessary to conquer grounds on water to extend urban surface. At the 14th century, Venice was the most important wearing of the Mediterranean and surely of the world.

After approximately 1000 years of independence, Venice was conquered by Napoleon Bonaparte the May 12th 1797, during the First coalition. The invasion of the French thus put a term at the century when Venice knew the apogee of its radiation, while becoming the most elegant and refined European city 18th century, with a strong influence on the Art, the Architecture and the Littérature. On the other hand, Napoleon was perceived like a kind of liberator by the Jewish population of Venice. He removed the barriers of the Ghetto as well as the restrictions of circulation imposed to the Jews.

At the end of the Napoleonean time, Venice became integral part of the Royaume of Italy, under the Austrian authority, by the ratification of the Traité of Campo-Formio in October of this same year 1797.

Austria gave the Venezia to Italy on October 3rd 1866 to thank it for its support in the war which opposed it to Russia. Venice since is nothing any more but one chief town of province within Italy.

Geography and transport

Venice occupies an exceptional geographical location, in a Lagune of the Adriatic Sea.

Principal the other islands of the lagoon are: the Lido, Murano, Burano, Torcello. Without forgetting: San Michele (the island cemetery of the city), San Erasmo, Mazzorbo, Flat-bottom the, Certosa, San Francesco del Deserto, San Giacomo in Paludo, San Servolo, San Lazzaro degli Armeni, Giudecca.

The city is traversed by more than 160 channels and extends on a hundred and eighteen island S located between the mouth from the Adige (at the south) and from the Piave (in north). The historical center is entirely pedestrian, the channels making function of road, and various the Bateau X is the single means of transport with the walking. Venice is a city against nature, noted already Chateaubriand.

To the 19th century, a railway Pont connects Venice to the continent and a Gare is built there. At the 20th century, a road link was also established, driving with a large carpark in northern periphery. In spite of these installations, Venice remains with the 21e century the only town of size important to be free of Automobile S and of Camion S. traditional individual transport is the Venetian Gondole, although it is used almost more only by the tourists or for particular occasions (ceremonies, marriages and burials). Its cost is indeed prohibitory. The Venetian ones use especially boat-buses, called vaporetto , which serve the various islands by furrowing the principal channels. There exists also many private boats. Only the gondoles not motorized still frequently used is the traghetti , of the vats for pedestrians who cross the Grand Channel to some places deprived of bridge.

Venice is served by the international airport Marco Polo, in the honor of this old and celebrates Venetian citizen. The Aéroport is located on the continent and was rebuilt inside the grounds, so that the visitors must travel by the bus then a boat-taxi or a boat-bus to go in the city.

Future of Venice

The buildings of Venice are built on wood pillars, which cross several layers of Argile and Sable. The foundations rest on these pillars, and the buildings of brick and stone of Istrie are built above. They are exposed to the threat of Marée S, in particular between the Automne and the beginning of the Printemps. The city is periodically flooded. It is what the Venetian ones call Acqua Alta.

This phenomenon always existed, but largely developed these last decades under the combined influence several causes relating to the climate and the human activity:

  • general rise of the sea level (Eustatisme);
  • subsidence (Subsidence): important well was dug at the 20th century to pump in the Ground water, which weakened the already unstable grounds;
  • disturbances in the Hydrography: the modernization of the port involved the digging of deep channels to allow the passage of large ships. The sea is engulfed thus much more easily in the lagoon. In addition to the acque phenomenon of the alte (Venetian floods), the other impact is the modification of the ecological system, the disappearance of the marine Biodiversité.
  • finally, since the fall of the Republic (in 1797), the practice (makes an obligation of it which the Magistrature of Water made respect which still exists as an institution charged to supervise all that milked with water) for the Venetian ones, to clean the channels for the désenvaser and to empty them lost itself what reduced the depth of these channels of the historical center. For a few years, the municipality has made again carry out this clearing out which makes it possible right now to contribute to the fall of the level of water in certain districts, the channels finding their full capacity are better capable to contribute to the diffusion of water.

The consequences are important in the daily life of the inhabitants, who must give up the lower levels of the houses and borrow systems of footbridges to move. But the most important consequences are the inexorable deterioration of the historic buildings and the habitat due to the rise of water and the contribution which follows harmful products from there to the stone and brick.

One cannot measure with precision the depression of Venice, and its evolution is a subject of controversy. The last initiative, initiated by a consortium of Italian industrialists, consists in posing 79 mobile doors in the three master keys of the lagoon to protect the city. These doors, in normal weather, would be filled with water and at the time of the tides higher than one meter, they would evacuate this water while making penetrate air, which will result in to draw up the doors. Thus the lagoon will be separated from the sea by a genuine barrier.

The project, named MOSE (electromagnetic experimental Module) started in 2003 and work must continue until in 2011. It causes today many polemics in particular within sight of its Pharaonic cost and of the increasingly widespread doubt among the scientists and the specialists in the tides on the effective effectiveness of this system which would be really useful only for the very spring tides.

Famous monuments & places

Churches

Islands of the lagoon

Museums

Palate

Places and Campi

Bridges

  • the Bridge of Rialto
  • the Bridge of the Sighs
  • the Bridge of the Academy
  • the Bridge of Exposed the (degli Scalzi)
  • the Bridge of Freedom (Laying della Libertà)

Others

  • the Large Channel (Bridge of Rialto, Bridge of the Academy, Bridge of Exposed the)
  • the Bell-tower of Saint Marc
  • the Tower of the Clock
  • the theater of Fenice
  • the Ghetto of Venice
  • the Arsenal of Venice
  • the Station of Venezia Santa Lucia

Gallery

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In China, Suzhou, is Venice of Asia, unfortunately increasingly disfigured by the ambient modernism. Venice is twinned with Suzhou.

Venice fascine

  • With Las Vegas, a complex of casinos, shops and restaurants, The Venetian, copy the Saint-Marc place and the palate of the doges

  • the neighborhood of Venice Beach with Los Angeles includes/understands part of small channels surrounding of the wood houses; they appear in the first part of the film The Doors of Oliver Stone .

  • the sympathetic nerve amusement park Legoland in Denmark has a reduction of Venice realized like all the other monuments of the briquette lego park!

Administration

Districts

Since 1171 the city of the doges comprises six district S called Sestiere: Cannaregio, Castello, Dorsoduro, San Marco, San Sports shirt and Santa Croce, to which are added the island of the Giudecca, Murano, Pellestrina and the Lido. The other important islands (Burano, Torcello, San Erasmo) like the localities of the dry land (Mestre, Marghera, Favaro Veneto, Zelarino and Chirignago) belong to the territory of the Commune of Venice.

Surface

The whole of the territories of the Commune represents a total Superficie of 41.317 hectares with which 25.302 are covered by water lagunaires. The localities of the dry land occupy a surface of 13.028 hectares, the Historical center measures about 800 hectares and the principal islands, approximately 2.186 hectares.

Communes bordering

Campagna Lupia, Cavallino-Treporti, Chioggia, Jesolo, Marcon, Martellago, Reflected, Mogliano Veneto (Trévise), Musile di Piave, Quarto of Altino, Scorzè, Spinea.

Population

In 2005, the Population resident is approximately 271.000 inhabitants (as much as the historical center at the XVIIIe century who does not shelter today than a little less than 67.000 inhabitants).

The future and the safeguard of Venice pass by the maintenance of the populations in their habitat of origin and of the artisanal, commercial and administrative activities which make it possible the population to live. Contrary to the generally accepted ideas, tourism does not enrich the city and it contributes, by its massification and its pendularity, to drive out the inhabitants of the historical center. The current municipality gets busy to reverse this situation by supporting the access to housing for most underprivileged and while taking care of the maintenance of the traditional activities, the trade, the schools and the companies of the tertiary sector which have their seat in the historical center.

Twinnings

Cooperation agreement:

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