Fortified city of Bergamo - Venetian Works of Defence between the 16th and 17th Centuries: Stato da Terra – Western Stato da Mar
Bergamo, Italy
27.10.2019
The fortified city of Bergamo - a UNESCO World Heritage Site
The city of Bergamo, located in the Lombardy region of northern Italy, has been a fortified city since ancient times. Its strategic location, on a hill overlooking the surrounding plains, made it an ideal location for a fortified settlement. The city is divided into two parts - the upper city, known as Bergamo Alta, and the lower city, Bergamo Bassa. The fortified city of Bergamo has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2017.
The history of Bergamo dates back to the 5th century BC when it was founded by the Celts. It was later conquered by the Romans in the 3rd century BC and became an important military outpost. In the 5th century AD, the city was invaded by the Goths and then the Lombards, who gave the city its current name - Bergamo, meaning "mountain town" in Lombardic.
During the Middle Ages, Bergamo became a free commune and was ruled by powerful families such as the Suardi, the Visconti, and the Sforza. The city's defensive walls were built during this time to protect it from invaders. These walls, along with the gates, towers, and bastions, are still intact and can be seen today.
The upper city, Bergamo Alta, is the more historic and picturesque part of the city. It is surrounded by 16th-century Venetian walls, which were built by the Republic of Venice to protect the city from attacks. Within these walls, you can find the Piazza Vecchia, the heart of the upper city, where you can see the impressive Palazzo della Ragione (Palace of Reason) and the Palazzo Nuovo (New Palace), which houses the city's civic museum.
The lower city, Bergamo Bassa, is a bustling modern city with its own charm. It is connected to the upper city by a funicular railway, which offers stunning views of the surrounding landscape. Here, you can find the Accademia Carrara, one of the most important art galleries in northern Italy, and the Teatro Donizetti, a beautiful opera house named after the famous composer Gaetano Donizetti, who was born in Bergamo.
The fortified city of Bergamo is not only known for its historical and cultural significance but also for its gastronomic delights. The city is famous for its delicious casoncelli, a type of stuffed pasta, and its creamy polenta e osei, a traditional dessert made with cornmeal and marzipan.
Continue exploring the history and culture of the fortified city of Bergamo:
This property consists of 6 components of defence works in Italy, Croatia and Montenegro, spanning more than 1,000 km between the Lombard region of Italy and the eastern Adriatic Coast. The fortifications throughout the Stato da Terra protected the Republic of Venice from other European powers to the northwest and those of the Stato da Mar protected the sea routes and ports in the Adriatic Sea to the Levant. They were necessary to support the expansion and authority of the Serenissima. The introduction of gunpowder led to significant shifts in military techniques and architecture that are reflected in the design of so-called alla moderna / bastioned, fortifications, which were to spread throughout Europe.
Venetian Works of Defence between the 16th and 17th centuries: Stato da Terra – Western Stato da Mar is a UNESCO World Heritage Site comprising six bastion forts built by the Republic of Venice on its mainland domains (Stato da Terra) and its Domains of the Sea (Stato da Màr).
With the increase in firearm warfare in the early modern period of gunpowder when the cannon came to dominate the battlefield, came significant shifts in military strategy and fort design. One of these changes was the development of the bastion fort, or alla moderna fortifications, with a polygon-shaped fortress with bulwarks at the corners. These designs originated from the Republic of Venice, but would soon spread throughout Europe and remain the standard for defence until the 19th century. In 2017, six of these fortifications in Italy, Croatia, and Montenegro were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list. These six sites provide quintessential examples of this fort design, demonstrate the influence of Renaissance-era Venice, and pay testimony to a major advancement in the history of warfare.
