A Brief History of Venice. Presentation on the topic: The medieval city of Venice. What kind of wood are the piles made of in Venice?
Venice wrote bright pages in the history of medieval Italy. This city, founded at the beginning of the 6th century, occupied a special position throughout the history of Italy. The first inhabitants of Venice moved to the islands of the vast Venetian lagoon, fleeing barbarian invasions and pestilence. Water turned out to be more reliable than fortress walls. Over time, the Venetians mastered the art of navigation no worse than the Greeks or Normans, the best shipbuilders of that time. The prosperity of Venice was built primarily on maritime trade. Most of the Greek and oriental goods entering the country passed through this city. Western Europe. By the end of the Middle Ages, the wealth of Venice had reached a level unprecedented in Europe. The city on the water eclipsed many European capitals with its beauty. Then the title “Brilliant” - “Serenissima” was assigned to the Venetian Republic.
The Venetians were practically deprived of the opportunity to engage in agriculture. However, they skillfully turned this circumstance to their advantage. Back at the end of the Dark Ages, when the church sought to limit the trade of Christian merchants with the Muslim world, the Venetians turned to the pope with a petition. They asked to be given permission to trade widely, especially emphasizing the fact that they had no other way to earn their bread - there was not enough arable land in the possessions of their city. Permission was given, and the pope significantly expanded the list of goods that the Venetians could export for sale. The ban was imposed only on “strategic” goods - timber, metals, resin. But even with these restrictions, the Venetians received a huge advantage over other merchants.
Feudalism practically did not affect Venice. From the very beginning of its history, this city was ruled by merchants. By the end of the Early Middle Ages, the political system of Venice had finally taken shape. The city was led exclusively by the local nobility - the nobility, the largest merchants and heads of the banking houses of Venice. The main legislative body of the republic - the Great Council - consisted of members of the most influential families of the city. At the end of the 13th century, the Great Council turned into an almost hereditary structure. Representatives of only a few dozen of the most noble families of the city, listed in the so-called “Golden Book of Venice,” could be elected to it.
Members Great Council elected the Small Council (signoria), which dealt with most of the current problems of life in Venice. The Small Council appointed the city senate, headed by the Doge, the main figure in political life Venice. The Doge was elected from among the most distinguished citizens, and this position was for life. Sometimes the Doge himself named his successor before his death.
In the 12th – 13th centuries, the main trade competitor of Venice in the Eastern Mediterranean was Byzantium, which had long monopolized trade routes from the East. In the struggle against the empire, which still retained its former power, the Venetian rulers eventually managed to win a victory by proxy. It's about about the fourth crusade, the participants of which, succumbing to the persuasion of the Venetians, went to Byzantium instead of Palestine and captured Constantinople. In place of Byzantium, the Latin Empire arose, whose rulers allocated huge land holdings in coastal territories to Venice - almost a third of the former Byzantine lands.
But the true heyday of Venice was yet to come. During the Renaissance, at the end of the European Middle Ages, the “Brilliant” became a truly formidable power, whose possessions spread across the most important trading zones of the continent. At the same time, the final victory was won over Genoa, which supported Byzantium, helped the Greeks in the defeat of the Latin Empire, and fought against Venice in the Italian seas. At the same time, Venice acquired the gloomy glory of a city where a person could disappear without a trace for a carelessly spoken word - the secret political investigation of the Venetian government, the “Council of Ten” and the “Council of Forty,” created in the 14th century, did not spare anyone who threatened the foundations of the republic. Even the Doge could be executed by the verdict of these secret tribunals.
VENICE
Historical and geographical preface.
1. Medieval Venice.
2. Renaissance period.
3. Modern Venice.
Venice was founded in the middle of the 5th century inhabitants of the solid land fleeing barbarian raids. The population found refuge on the islands and thus managed to preserve their own culture. Entire communities with priests and bishops emigrated. The islands became part of Latin culture, completely separated from the barbarians, although under the auspices of the Orthodox Byzantium. Approximately in the 9th century The process of forming a new Venetian state began.
On east coast Peninsula, washed by the Adriatic Sea, lies the port of Italy - Venice. This city is located on 118 islands. From the shore of the Venetian Lagoon there are two large bridge. Instead of streets, the entire city is cut through by canals along which boats, nimble water buses scurry, and gondolas glide. This is city transport. It replaces the bus, trolleybus, and metro here.
Water has been a threat to Venice for a long time. Its level in the channels increases annually. Over the fifteen centuries of its existence, the city went under water by one and a half meters. There are different opinions: some say that the islands are collapsing and settling, that the piles have rotted, others consider the main problem to be the appearance of a motor fleet. Waves rock the piles and wash away the foundations. Projects are being proposed to save Venice, but they are very expensive.
For many centuries, Venice was the capital of the wealthy Venetian Republic. Like Genoa, it traded with many countries. Rich merchants built in the city luxurious palaces- palazzos, erected majestic cathedrals, connected the islands with fancy openwork bridges. The most beautiful palazzos are built along the " main street" - on the banks Grand Canal. Most of these palaces are empty; their owners come to Venice only in the summer. In the city center there is a huge square of St. Brand. It is surrounded by buildings that once housed government offices of the Venetian Republic. Particularly beautiful is the Cathedral of St. Mark and the Doge's Palace - the rulers of the republic. Since ancient times, Venice has been famous for the production of artistic glass and lace. Nowadays, Venice (more precisely, its suburbs Mestre and Marghera) are important ports.
1. Medieval Venice.
In the Middle Age, 1200-1300, in connection with the development of water commercial routes (the famous Marco Polo) began to be brought to Venice from the East great amount spices: pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves. In total, 2500 tons per year. It is interesting that in those days cloves were used as chewing gum, which also gave it a pleasant smell. At this time, sugar was first brought here. A wide variety of food supplies were delivered to Venice: from Syria - pistachio nuts, from Armenia - apricots, from Lebanon - peaches, from Persia - asparagus.
The Venetians did not use the vast majority of spices to add to food, but used them as money to pay for a variety of services. This unique coin existed in Venice for a long time, along with 5 thousand tons of gold imported annually. Here, already during this period, the first insurance companies were opened, where spices were delivered on gondolas. Pirates, who monitored these maneuvers in advance, often attacked them, so the cargo was usually accompanied by state guards.
Venetian fleet transported crusaders to fight Muslims. Therefore, after the victories, the Republic was generously rewarded for services rendered. Many of these gifts can still be seen on central square San Marco.
In those days, it was customary to throw waste directly from the windows onto the ground. Naturally, it was quite difficult for pedestrians; in order to ease their fate at least a little, they used shoes with a high platform. Noble Venetians they almost never left the house and took air baths on their terrace in the company of children and old people. Many people traveled around the city on horseback, so there were no steps on the bridges. The streets of Venice were not cleaned by anyone and if the voracious pigs that were in the city large quantities, did not eat the garbage, they only hoped for a water spill.
To supply the city drinking water First, they drilled wells directly into the ground, and then built special devices in the areas to collect rainwater. This method worked for quite a long time, only about 100 years ago the first water supply was installed in Venice. In Piazza San Marco, under the bell tower, they sold wine by the glass. Why under the bell tower? Yes, because a shadow was moving away from it, and the enterprising Venetians, so as not to spoil this drink, gradually moved with the barrel in the direction of the bell’s shadow. Therefore, here the word “shadow” is immediately compared with wine. The central islands, where the bulk of the population was located, were surrounded by walls, and the main channel, which gave rise to the Grand Canal, was blocked off at night by massive chains. In this way, local residents defended themselves from barbaric attacks. The Venetians did not limit themselves to fishing near the islands or mining salt. They were brave and skilled sailors and made good use of their new location. Venice began to rapidly develop thanks to maritime commerce and was, as it were, a bridge between East and West.
2. Renaissance period.
During the Renaissance, 1400-1600, Venice first begins to show signs of decline, continuing until the fall of Venice (late 1700s). With the increase in Turkish raids and the discovery of America, trips to the East are reduced. Therefore, wealthy residents of Venice of this period invested money in the construction of palaces, which were built both in Venice itself and near the city. Thus, luxurious villas with beautiful parks for summer holiday noble nobles.
In the 15th century, a parade passed through Venice. general famine. This was due to the fact that local agricultural products were worth much more than those brought from the East. Men leave their homes in the hope of finding some kind of work, but for many this goal remains unattainable. Then women are forced to support their families themselves. At that time in Venice, with a population of 100 thousand, there were 11 thousand street women. But hunger took its toll, and specially created detachments threw the dead directly into the canals.
The central political and social structure of Venice, as the only ruling class, was the nobility, but not of feudal, but of commercial origin, around which other layers were located: free artel workers and merchants. This system worked perfectly five centuries until the fall of the Republic. The administration relied on popular support, and the repressive apparatus was kept to a minimum. The masses fully supported the social structure, which gave a deep flowering to art. Architecture, painting, theater and music developed with extraordinary speed, the influence of which still distinguishes Venice from all other cities in the world.
The brilliant city on the Adriatic Sea experienced a variety of events - the founding of several stilt villages in the swampy swamps of the seaside lagoon, a period of maritime, commercial and military power, and then decline and deprivation of independence. The history of Venice is similar to the history of many other ancient cities, but at the same time it is unique, original and inimitable, like this Italian city itself.
Birth of a legend
The appearance of Venice is associated with a very common event for the Middle Ages - in 451, the Huns, led by Attila, who invaded the Roman Empire, destroyed the city of Aquileia. Most of its population fled west to the islands of the sea lagoon, where Venice was founded. Later, the first settlers were joined by residents of Padua, Oderzo, and Concordia with their own traditions and morals.
The settlers mastered the swampy and seemingly uninhabitable coastline quite quickly - they learned to build houses on stilts and a special foundation and live practically on the water. Initially, twelve Venetian villages were governed by a council of representatives, later power over them passed to the Byzantine Empire, which appointed the first doge - the supreme ruler, whose residence was on Rialto Island. Later this position became elective.
Venetian heyday
There was practically no arable land in Venice, so its inhabitants, taking advantage of very profitable geographical location, began to build ships and develop navigation. The city was so closely connected with the sea that there was even a ritual of “betrothal” of the doge to the sea element - the ruler threw a ring into the waves 
with the words: “We are marrying you, O sea, as a sign of eternal dominion over you.” Already at the end of the 10th century, the Venetian fleet began to be considered the most powerful on the Adriatic Sea.
Venice was a kind of transit trade point that served as a link between Europe and the East. This was facilitated by the signing by the Byzantine emperor of the “Golden Bull” - a document that recognized the special rights of the city and its trading privileges. Thus, Venice became an almost independent state within the Byzantine Empire, extending its influence throughout the Adriatic.
The republic reached its highest degree of power thanks to the Crusades, providing the crusader knights not only with a fleet, but also with generous loans, which were often returned retail space in captured cities. The fourth crusade brought incredible wealth to the Venetians, which resulted in twenty tons of silver received by Doge Enrico Dondolo for providing a fleet, and the plunder of the capital of Byzantium, Constantinople, and the annexation of many lands, including Crete, to the republic.
Decline period
The period of decline of Venice is associated with the invasion of the Turks, who captured Constantinople in the 15th century and then began to conquer the mainland territories of Venice. In addition, new trade routes were opened connecting New World both India and Venice were deprived of the basis of their centuries-old prosperity. The plague of 1630 also brought a lot of grief to the republic, which claimed the lives of a third of the republic’s population.
Like Rome during its decline, Venice in the 16th century was a real center of prostitution - not only for women, but also for men. At the end of the 18th century, weakened, demoralized and deprived of previous sources of replenishment of the treasury, the city easily surrendered to Napoleon Bonaparte. For a whole century, Venice passed from hand to hand, and only in late XIX century, it finally became part of Italy.
New Atlantis
The appearance of Venice has remained virtually unchanged over the past centuries - there are no industrial enterprises or areas of new buildings, and the main transport is still water. However, the history of the city continues, it lives and surprises thousands of tourists with its unpredictability and enchantment. True, the forecasts of scientists regarding the near future of Venice are very sad.
The sea, which made the Venetian Republic one of the strongest and richest states in Europe, is now a serious danger to the city. Floods happen quite often, and sea water penetrates into the basements of houses, sometimes rising to the first floors. Even luxurious palaces - palazzos - are under threat. No less dangerous for Venice is the pollution of the canals, the water in which is called poisonous. Let's hope that this amazing city yet he will escape the fate of Atlantis, and he will be saved for the present and the future.
Daria Tsvetkova
So what is Venice worth?? How does this miracle - the city - manage to float on the water for centuries? How deep are Venetian canals? How were they built? Venetian palaces? These are the questions that arose for many who read the article about. Also, these same questions are asked by everyone who has visited this city on the water.
I found a very interesting video on YouTube that answers these and many other similar questions. The only downside to this video is the fact that it's on Italian and, by the way, is used in tests for knowledge of the Italian language.
The basis for the construction of Venetian buildings is wooden piles, the number of which was required for the construction of Venice over a million. For the Rialto Bridge alone, over 30 thousand piles were used.
Rialto Venice
What kind of wood are the piles made of in Venice?
Venetian piles required only special wood, namely oak and larch. Because only these tree species have necessary supply strength and resistance to adverse influences. These trees were floated to Venice because they did not grow in the immediate area.
Depth of canals in Venice
In order to see how deep the canals in Venice are, it is enough to wait for the period of their shallowing, which has been used for several years now both to clean the bottom of the canals and to restore ancient medieval Venetian palazzos.
As we see in the film, The depth of the channels is not great at all.She reaches 2.5, maximum 3 meters. Only the Grand Canal in some places reaches a depth of 6 meters.
Grand Canal in Venice
In the film you can see fountains gushing out from the walls of houses (which are usually under water). This is the water that the building draws into itself when it is under water.
In the last part of the film, we find ourselves at the excavations of one of the Venetian suburbs in order to discover the most important secret of the construction of Venice, and also to understand Why are piles (even made of high-strength wood) resistant to destruction and rotting?.
Here are piles that were installed here at the time when Christopher Columbus set out to discover America. As you can see, they are quite alive and not even very destroyed.
So what is the main secret?
Piles of Venice
And the secret lies in the type Venetian mud which the local soil is rich in. It is these muds that fit the pile so tightly that block the access of oxygen to it, and accordingly prevent the penetration of animals and insects, corrosion from water and natural destruction.
Thanks to these muds, which stuck to the pile 7-8 meters deep, it remains intact and unharmed, and can serve for centuries. As we see in the film, only the top part of the pile which opens into open space, susceptible to aging.
How buildings were built in Venice
For construction Venetian buildings, the piles were buried 7-8 meters deep into the mud until it reached solid soil, into which it was driven to a certain depth. Then the logs were laid on top of the wooden piles in an intersecting manner.
This method gave maximum stability and allowed the mass of the building to be evenly distributed around the entire perimeter. Either brickwork was made on top of the wooden logs, or marble slabs were laid.
Items found at these excavations allow scientists to assert that in Venice, since the time of Marco Polo, there existed separate waste collection and. Which has just begun to be introduced in our countries.
Eh... we still lag behind mother Europe... 🙁
Also, the excavations gave scientists a lot samples of glass, pottery, and Chinese ceramics that were found here. It is believed that the samples of Chinese ceramics found here are the oldest in Europe.
Venice is still fraught with many secrets and mysteries., which generations of our descendants will have the opportunity to discover.
I can't help but highly recommend interesting excursions in Venice from local residents. All excursions are in RUSSIAN! I specially selected for this article the most thematic excursions, which will help you not only see everything you read in practice, but also tell and show Venice from completely unexpected angles.
The most beautiful and tourist-visited city in Italy - Venice, undoubtedly, is one of the most amazing and the most beautiful cities planets. The romantic atmosphere of Venice during the Renaissance, described in hundreds of books and captured in dozens of films, attracts an incredible number of tourists - sixty thousand people a day. There are so many visitors that the city authorities are turning to the UN with requests to stop this endless flow, fearing that the city will collapse under its onslaught.
The city of Venice has always been and continues to be cultural capital Italy and one of the most significant cultural centers in the whole world. Music and film festivals, balls, carnivals and exhibitions of all types of fine arts are held here year-round.
The name of the city comes from the name of the province of Veneto, of which it is the capital, and it, in turn, from the Veneti tribe who settled here once upon a time. The city is built on more than a hundred islands scattered in the Gulf of Venice in northeastern Italy. The islands are completely cut by canals, across which 400 bridges were built. The total number of canals is about 150. There is no place for cars to drive here; people move across the water on motor boats and gondolas. You can sail to the city from the sea, fly by plane (12 kilometers from the city there is Marco Polo Airport), or come by car or train from mainland Italy along the long 4-kilometer Ponte della Libertà. Number of local residents per this moment is about 250 thousand people, but it is constantly declining due to the inexorable influx of tourists. If the situation does not change, the disappearance of the last indigenous inhabitant of the old part of Venice is expected by the year 230.
Venice was founded in the fifth century BC. e. settlers from the continent fleeing on these islands from the raids of cruel barbarian tribes. In 727, the Venetian Doge (city ruler) was first elected, under whose authority all the islands were gathered. In the Middle Ages, the island of Venice became a powerful independent republic. From the descriptions of the medieval city it is known that there were no vassal relations common at that time between the city residents and they were all actually free people. This was a huge rarity in dark medieval Europe. By the 16th century, Venice gradually lost its power, and in 1797 it came under the control of Austria. And only in 1866 the city became the center of the Italian province of Veneto.
From an architectural point of view, the city of Venice is a unique and unprecedented place. The canals between the houses are so narrow that often, when sailing along them on a gondola, you can rest your hands on the walls of two standing different sides canal, houses. Gondolas are specially designed to be narrow, long and with one oar. This allows movement in the cramped space of the canals. The foundations of Venetian houses are completely submerged in water. They consist of two main parts: the lower one consists of wooden piles driven into the bottom, on which the second part is located - the usual stone foundation. To prevent the houses from sagging, they were built from limestone and wood, which made them light but strong enough. Any Venetian building is of high architectural value, so the entire island part of the city is entirely under the protection of UNESCO. Despite all precautions, the city is slowly but surely sinking under water at a rate of about 5 millimeters per year. According to rough estimates, by 2030 the water level will rise to a critical height and will begin to quickly destroy architectural monuments that have stood intact for many centuries. In this regard, the colossal-scale “Moses” project was developed, thanks to which the water level in the bay can be artificially regulated.
The city of Venice is famous for its numerous bridges, the number of which is greater than in any other city in the world. They are tall enough to accommodate ships moving through the canals, durable enough to remain in their original form for many centuries, and yet beautiful enough to become a recognizable landmark in Venice, Italy and throughout Europe. The Grand Canal, 70 meters wide, runs through the entire central part of the city in the shape of the letter S. Descriptions of the medieval city say that the first bridge thrown across it in 1592 is called Rialto. Until 1854, it was the only bridge connecting the two banks of the Grand Canal. It has survived to this day in its original form, overgrown with various stories and legends, and has become a recognizable landmark of Italian Venice. Another famous bridge is the Bridge of Sighs. It got its name not because of loving couples sighing at sunset. The bridge connected the courtroom with the city prison and was named so because of the sad sighs of the convicts, casting a farewell glance at Venice as they walked across it to the prison. The Bridge of Sighs is best seen from another bridge across the Palace Canal - Solomennoye. It got its name because of the nearby pier for gondolas that brought straw to the New Prison. The Constitution Bridge, the newest of the Venetian bridges, was built in 2008 and connected the railway and bus stations. Its brave appearance and the reinforced concrete structure, oddly enough, laconically fit into the surrounding outlines of the medieval city, described by many European writers.
But the most significant sights of Italian Venice are its temples, towers and palaces. In geographical, tourism and cultural center city - Piazza San Marco is home to the city's most famous buildings.
The Basilica of San Marco is the most popular cathedral among visitors to the city. According to descriptions of the medieval city, it was erected to store the remains of St. Mark, which were stolen from Alexandria and brought to Venice. Italy is famous for its huge and amazing cathedrals and temples and the Basilica of San Marco is certainly one of the most beautiful among them. This temple has always been the most significant religious and political center of the city. All Venetian doges were crowned here, all visiting merchants brought their gifts here, all sailors and discoverers were sent here on long voyages. And city residents gathered here to escape from floods, fires and other disasters, or, conversely, to celebrate some important event. Having visited this place, you can get an idea of what power the Venetian Republic had at one time.
The Doge's Palace, built in the 14th century, served as the main administrative building of the republic. It's big and incredible beautiful building in the Gothic-Moorish style it housed many huge halls, in which most ceremonies took place and issues of national importance were resolved. Big hall Sovetov, located on the top floor of the building, is the largest room in the world whose ceiling is not supported by supports. It is impossible to imagine the scale of this hall without seeing it with your own eyes. In the central part of the palace, overlooking Piazza San Marco, there is a balcony from which the Doges made their speeches to the townspeople.
Opposite the Basilica is the most high building- Campanile San Marco. The first building on this site dates back to the 9th century. Then there was a tall watchtower, which also served as a lighthouse for ships in the bay. In 1514, a bell tower was built here. Each bell in it had its own sound and purpose. By their ringing, the townspeople determined when they needed to wake up, go to work and for lunch. In 1902, the tower suddenly collapsed. The entire bell tower to the very base turned into ruins, damaging, as it fell, part of the Doge's Palace. Surprisingly, no one was injured in the collapse. Only someone's beloved cat disappeared. In 1912, for the feast of St. Mark, the bell tower was completely restored in the same place and in the same form with minor changes in the design, which gave it much greater strength. Now the Campanile San Marco remains one of the most famous landmarks in the city of Venice.
Ca'd'Oro, or the Palace of Hagia Sophia, is located on the banks of the Grand Canal. This relatively small but very beautiful building is rightfully considered an example of the elegance of the Venetian Gothic architectural style. Gold leaf was used to decorate the building, which is why the palace received its third name - the Golden House. Since its construction in the 15th century, the palace building has changed hands and been rebuilt several times. But its last owner, Baron Giorgio Franchetti, decided to give the palace its original appearance. Thanks to the efforts of this man, we now see Ca'd'Oro the same as he was six hundred years ago. After the death of the baron, the palace, along with all its contents (a huge collection of valuable paintings), came under the care of the city authorities and now there is an exhibition of these and other paintings.
The Venice Carnival is considered the most significant cultural and tourist event in Italy. This grandiose event, according to descriptions of the medieval city, has been held annually since 1094. Every year in January-February, hundreds of thousands of tourists come to see people in lush multi-colored carnival costumes and masks of incredible beauty. The holiday opens with the traditional spectacle of Festa delle Marie, lasts ten days and ends with Fat Tuesday, after which comes Lent.
Venice is a beautiful, delightful city that everyone who loves to travel must visit.