Mystical stories about medieval Venice. History of Venice: frozen Middle Ages. What kind of wood are the piles made of in Venice?

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 of the Grand Canal. Most of these palaces are empty; their owners come to Venice only in the summer. In the center of the city there is a huge square of St. Brand. It is surrounded by buildings that once housed government offices of the Venetian Republic. Particularly beautiful are 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 number 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; to make their fate a little easier, 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 canal, which gave rise to Grand Canal, was blocked off at night with massive chains. Thus, local residents defended themselves from barbarian 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.

Venice... Even in my distant childhood, it excited me with its unearthly life, its extraordinary islands located in the Adriatic Sea. The fact is that in the house there are beautiful engravings with a view of this charming corner Europe. And it was these engravings that touched my heart deeply. I really wanted to go there and see for myself the unearthly beauty that so much has been and continues to be talked about. I couldn't believe that people could create this fairytale city, spread over 400 islands. And I couldn’t believe even more that I would ever visit here myself.

Of course, when we talk about a country, we are always interested in the history of this state. The history of Venice is very interesting.

The fabulous city of Venice arose in 421, although many will argue with this, but you must agree, it is not nice to begin the chronology of one of the greatest cities in the world with the words “approximately” and “about”. So we, people who are not directly related to history, will accept this sacred date for every lover of beauty for the year of the birth of Venice.

Historians will still say that the first information about the settlement of the marshy islands of the lagoon (Rivo Alto, Malomocco, Chioggia, etc.) of little use for meaningful existence dates back to 452. Okay, let’s take this connection of numbers into account.

Just at this time, the exhausted Roman Empire was subjected to another attack by bloodthirsty and merciless barbarians, Huns and all other evil spirits, led by the cruel warrior Attila. So the residents had to Northern Italy save yourself in the lagoon wild islands Adriatic. It turned out that you can also live here and, as we find out later, it’s very good.

The new settlers began fishing, farming, and by 466 they agreed to found the first Venetian government - a council of representatives from each of the twelve villages. And after another two centuries, the turbulent situation in the lagoon forced the inhabitants to elect their supreme ruler, in Venetian - the Doge (Doge from the Latin Dux (King), in Italian Duca).

At the same time, on paper, Venice was still subordinate to the Roman Empire, only not to the Western Empire, which was devastated at the end of the 5th century, but to the Eastern Empire, that is, Byzantium.

Byzantine influence in Italy soon began to decline, and when in 810 Venice was unsuccessfully attacked by the Frankish army, the islanders morally rallied and began to actively distance themselves from Byzantium.

The administrative center of the lagoon was moved to the safest island of Rivo Alto (where the Rialto district is now located). And in 829, two Venetian merchants went to Alexandria, stole the relics of St. Mark there, brought them to the islands, and the local residents gladly exchanged the Byzantine heavenly patron Theodore for the freshly stolen, but their own, Mark. In addition, they began to build the Doge's Palace and mint their own coins.

The Republic of Saint Mark built its economic prosperity on maritime trade. Geographically, the lagoon city was a meeting point between East and West, and the islanders, being talented merchants, knew how to capitalize on this. Venetian ships set sail and returned full of hot goods, and if problems arose with local corsairs who interfered with normal shipping in the Adriatic, the Venetians simply bought off their obsessive attention.

When the famous Pietro II Orseolo was elected Doge in 991, the inhabitants of the lagoon began to successfully use force. Nine years into his reign, on the Feast of the Ascension, the Great Doge went to sea with the most powerful fleet that the waters of the Adriatic had ever seen, and a moment later he completely cleared the sea of Dalmatian pirates, capturing cities along the way. Thus began the territorial expansion of Venice. The city expanded its influence on the sea and established itself as a center of maritime trade.

Exotic goods from the East, fruits from the Caucasus were brought here, perfumes, cosmetics, carpets, gold, slaves were traded here; resourceful Venetian merchants brought treasures and relics from all over the world. Venice turned into a wonderful world: the motley crowd on the streets spoke hundreds of languages and dialects,
and in the palazzo (palaces) luxury reigned. The growing city needed artists and creators. Venice gave orders to the greatest painters and architects. Churches and cathedrals were built in the city, book printing developed, and at the beginning of the 12th century the largest shipyard of that time, the Arsenal, was built.

The flourishing republic was ruled by a limited number of oligarchs, whose names were recorded in the so-called. "Golden Book" - only members of their families had the right to sit on the Grand Council, the legislative body. At the head of the Great Council was the Doge. Although his position was for life, throughout the centuries of the republic’s existence it remained elective. True... Doge Marino Falier in 1355 tried to make his power hereditary, like royalty, but was beheaded by his subjects for this.

The city's relations with the Catholic Church were cool. No matter how hard the popes tried to influence his policies, they failed. Venice had a sense of self-respect and always resisted the Vatican. The city was excommunicated from the church more than once, they tried to impose a list of prohibited books, they threatened to excommunicate the entire Venetian Senate, but each time these decisions were ignored, and the city continued to live and prosper peacefully.

All these years, the Venetian government played a successful political game, seizing more and more profitable territories and benefiting from the most intractable situations and international conflicts. In the 15th century, the republic already ruled from the Alps to the Po River and to Bergamo in the west. Even Cyprus came under the rule of Venice.

But in the 15th century, the Turks began to gain a foothold in the Mediterranean... Having conquered many lands Ottoman Empire began to conquer the mainland territories of Venice one after another. The Republic resisted, but bloody battles brought only ruin, and the once profitable lands consistently passed to the Turks.
And then, as luck would have it, travelers became more active - in 1499 Vasco da Gama found a way to India through the cape Good Hope, bypassing the trade routes that traditionally formed the basis of the republic’s well-being. The discovery of the Portuguese dealt a severe blow to the entire Venetian economy. Years of slow decline began...

In 1575, and then in 1630, the city was devastated by the plague, a third of the population (including the great artist Titian) died, and all remaining human and financial resources continued to be siphoned off by the ongoing conflict with the Turks. By 1720, the republic was practically bankrupt. It is characteristic that it was at this time that she experienced another period of flowering of the arts - Tiepollo, Canaletto, Guardi lived and worked in the city, plays by Goldoni and Gozzi were staged on the stage, and the Florian cafe opened in Piazza San Marco.

Thus the 18th century came to an end, and with it the history of Venetian independence. The bloodless city became easy prey for Napoleon. The invasion of French troops marked the end of the republic. The last Doge Ludovico Manin, taking off the cap he wore under his crown, said to the servant: “Take it away, I won’t need it anymore.”
Napoleon came out to San Marco and said: “But this square is the most elegant living room in Europe,” after which he plundered the city and destroyed about forty ancient palazzos. When his empire fell, Venice passed to Austria.

In 1826, Venice was declared a free harbor, and now tourists replaced businessmen in the city. After the visit of Byron, the main European tourist, excuse me, romance, the poetry of Venetian decadence came into fashion. Bohemians came to the Venetian canals and bridges for inspiration, wealthy Europeans spent their summers on fashionable beaches Lido. The city has become a place of pilgrimage for every self-respecting esthete.

Meanwhile, the Venetians had a hard time experiencing their dependence on Austria and, together with the rest of Italy, rebelled against the Austrian occupiers, and in 1866 the city became a province of the Italian kingdom.

During World War II, Venice narrowly escaped serious damage from Allied bombs. Actor Marcello Mastroianni ended up in a German labor camp, escaped and hid in Venice until the end of the war.

Now the beautiful and poetic Venetian fairy tale has turned into something like Disneyland for an endless stream of tourists, and the number of citizens has decreased three times over the past half century. Every year, 1,500 people leave the city because the city's young owners find it increasingly difficult to find a place among the countless number of guests.

The history of Venice does not end here, and will continue for some time, but pessimistic scientists greatly limit the period and say that due to the rise in the water level in the lagoon, Venice may become the “Atlantis of the new millennium.”

I am grateful to Katya Degot, without whom this text would not have been possible.

So what is Venice worth?? How does this miracle city manage to float on 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 is 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.

venice church landmark architecture

The fabulous city of Venice arose in 421, although many will argue with this, but you must admit that it is not nice to begin the chronology of one of the greatest cities in the world with the words “approximately” and “about”. So we, people who are not directly related to history, will accept this sacred date for every lover of beauty for the year of the birth of Venice.

Just at this time, the exhausted Roman Empire was subjected to another attack by bloodthirsty and merciless barbarians, Huns and all other evil spirits, led by the cruel warrior Attila. So the residents of Northern Italy had to flee to a lagoon on the wild islands of the Adriatic. It turned out that you can also live here and, as we find out later, it’s very good.

Byzantine influence in Italy soon began to decline, and when the Frankish army unsuccessfully attacked Venice in 810, the islanders morally rallied and began to actively distance themselves from Byzantium.

The Republic of St. Mark built its economic prosperity on maritime trade. Geographically, the lagoon city was a meeting point between East and West, and the islanders, being talented merchants, knew how to capitalize on this. Venetian ships set sail and returned full of hot goods, and if problems arose with local corsairs who interfered with normal shipping in the Adriatic, the Venetians simply bought off their obsessive attention.

Exotic goods from the East, fruits from the Caucasus were brought here, perfumes, cosmetics, carpets, gold, slaves were traded here; resourceful Venetian merchants brought treasures and relics from all over the world. Venice turned into a wonderful world: the motley crowd on the streets spoke hundreds of languages and dialects, and luxury reigned in the palazzo (palaces). The growing city needed artists and creators. Venice gave orders to the greatest painters and architects. Churches and cathedrals were built in the city, book printing developed, and at the beginning of the 12th century the largest shipyard of that time, the Arsenal, was built.

But in the 15th century, the Turks began to gain a foothold in the Mediterranean... Having conquered many lands, the Ottoman Empire began to conquer the mainland territories of Venice one after another. The Republic resisted, but bloody battles brought only ruin, and the once profitable lands consistently passed to the Turks. And then, as luck would have it, travelers became more active - in 1499, Vasco da Gama found a way to India through the Cape of Good Hope, bypassing the trade routes that traditionally formed the basis of the republic’s prosperity. The discovery of the Portuguese dealt a severe blow to the entire Venetian economy. Years of slow decline began...

Thus the 18th century came to an end, and with it the history of Venetian independence. The bloodless city became easy prey for Napoleon. The invasion of French troops marked the end of the republic. The last Doge Ludovico Manin, taking off the cap he wore under his crown, said to the servant: “Take it away, I won’t need it anymore.” Napoleon came out to San Marco and said: “But this square is the most elegant living room in Europe,” after which he plundered the city and destroyed about forty ancient palazzos. When his empire fell, Venice passed to Austria.

In 1826, Venice was declared a free harbor, and now tourists replaced businessmen in the city. After the visit of Byron, the main European tourist, excuse me, romance, the poetry of Venetian decadence came into fashion. Bohemians came to the Venetian canals and bridges for inspiration, wealthy Europeans spent the summer on the fashionable beaches of the Lido. The city has become a place of pilgrimage for every self-respecting esthete.

During World War II, Venice narrowly escaped serious damage from Allied bombs. Actor Marcello Mastroianni ended up in a German labor camp, escaped and hid in Venice until the end of the war. Now the beautiful and poetic Venetian fairy tale has turned into something like Disneyland for an endless stream of tourists, and the number of citizens has decreased three times over the past half century. Every year, 1,500 people leave the city because the city's young owners find it increasingly difficult to find a place among the countless number of guests.

History of Venice begins in the first millennium BC, when lagoons of the Adriatic Sea appeared on the islands Veneti tribes, from which Venice got its name. After the Veneti, there were Greeks, Etruscans and Romans in these places, whose main occupation in these places was fishing.

At the beginning of the 5th century AD, due to constant attacks by Germanic tribes, many inhabitants of the Roman Empire began to move from mainland Italy to the lagoons of the Adriatic Sea. So in these lagoons a city was formed, which received the name.

In the mid-6th century, Venice formally became part of Byzantine Empire, although in fact the city retained its independence. In 568, a new tribe invaded the North - the Lombards. This invasion gave rise to a new wave of immigrants to Venice.

The power of the Doges in Venice

Beginning in 697, the sole power of a doge elected for life was established in Venice.

In 828, the Venetians managed to kidnap in Alexandria relics of St. Mark, who, from that moment on, began to be considered the patron saint of the city. During these years, Venice became the main trade intermediary between countries Western Europe and Byzantium. The city grew rich, and he had to constantly fight off pirates, Vikings and other adventurers of all kinds. To do this, the city had to build a strong navy. In the 10th century, Venice achieved formal independence from Byzantium and became the main maritime power in the Adriatic Sea.

Venice's participation in the Crusades

Venice actively supported Crusades. For this, the city received ownership of shopping streets in the cities of the Middle East, which led to the rapid development of trade and a significant strengthening of the Venetian merchants.

In 1172, the city was created Big Council- legislative body of the republic. The rapid development of commodity-money relations led to the relocation to the city of a large part of the rural population from the outskirts of Venice, who later became the bulk of urban artisans.

In 1177, an important political event in European history took place in the city. Thanks to skillful diplomacy, Venice became the site of reconciliation between Pope Alexander III and the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa.

At the beginning of the 13th century the Venetian dojo Enrico Dandolo managed to persuade the crusaders to make Constantinople the target of the Fourth Crusade, in which Venice had recently lost its trading privileges. Dandolo himself took part in the campaign. He died in Constantinople and was given the honor of being buried in the Church of Hagia Sophia.

For his assistance provided to the crusaders at capture of Constantinople(Venice provided the crusaders with a fleet), the city received ownership of a quarter in Constantinople, Dalmatia, the Peloponnese in Greece, and the Ionian Islands.

Beginning in the 13th century, Venice fought wars with its rival and fellow Italian trading republic, Genoa. Venice was victorious and, according to the Turin Trade Treaty of 1381, Venetian dominance in the eastern part Mediterranean Sea was officially recognized by Genoa. Another dangerous rival of Venice in the Adriatic Sea was the city of Dubrovnik, with which Venice did not stop fighting throughout the Middle Ages.

Venice maintained lively relations with the countries of the Middle East, bringing spices, cotton, silks and ivory from there. Oriental goods Venetian merchants They were taken to Bruges, from where they dispersed throughout Europe. The main trade turnover between East and West passed through Venice.

Venice on the map