Verona old town

Verona old town
UNESCO world heritage
	View of the Piazza delle Erbe
National territory:	Italy
Type:	Culture
Criteria :	(ii), (iv)
Reference No .:	797
UNESCO region :	Europe and North America
	History of enrollment
Enrollment:	2000 (session 13)

The historic old town of Verona was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2000 .

The city was founded in the 1st century BC. Founded in BC, it flourished particularly under the rule of the Scaliger in the 13th and 14th centuries AD and as part of the Republic of Venice from the 15th to 18th centuries AD. Verona is a remarkably large number preserved by monuments of antiquity, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance period. It is also an excellent example of a military fortification that was in use for two millennia.

Summary of urban development

Ponte Pietra

The city is located in northern Italy on the Adige River ( Italian Adige ) and at the foot of the Lessin Alps. The settlement site goes back to prehistoric times, a small settlement developed between the 4th and 3rd centuries BC. And became a Roman Municipium in the 1st century BC. Chr .; thereafter its importance grew rapidly. During the 5th century AD Verona was conquered by the Ostrogoth Theodoric I , later by the Lombards and in 774 by Charlemagne .

In the early 12th century it became an independent commune that flourished under the rule of the Scaliger family and especially under Cangrande I. In 1495 it fell to Venice , from 1797 it became part of the Habsburg Empire and in 1866 it joined the Kingdom of Italy .

The old town

The evening arena

The core of the old town consists of the Roman settlement, which nestles in the bend of the Adige river and contains one of the most extensive collections of Roman relics in northern Italy. Remains of antiquity that have been preserved are:

the city gate Porta dei Borsari ,
the remains of the Porta Leoni ,
the Arco dei Gavi , which was dismantled during the Napoleonic era and rebuilt near Castelvecchio in the 1930s,
the Ponte Pietra ,
the roman theater and
the amphitheater arena .

The Scaligans rebuilt the walls during the Middle Ages, which then enclosed a much larger area to the west and another extensive area on the east bank of the river. The city remained within these limits until the 20th century.

View of part of the Piazza delle Erbe

The Piazza dei Signori

The heart of Verona is the ensemble that consists of the Piazza delle Erbe (with its picturesque fruit and vegetable market) and the Piazza dei Signori , with historical buildings such as the Palazzo del Comune , the Palazzo del Governo , the Loggia del Consiglio , the Arche Scaligere and the Domus Nova . The Piazza Bra has a number of buildings from different eras.

Verona's preserved architecture and urban structure reflect the development of a fortified city with a 2000 year history.

List entry criteria

The following criteria were decisive for the entry in the World Heritage list:

“Criterion (ii): In its urban structure and its architecture, Verona is an outstanding example of a town that has developed progressively and uninterruptedly over 2,000 years, incorporating artistic elements of the highest quality from each succeeding period. ”

“In terms of urban structure and architecture, Verona is an outstanding example of a city that has developed continuously and undisturbed for 2000 years. It has preserved art monuments of the highest quality from each successive epoch. "

“Criterion (iv): Verona represents in an exceptional way the concept of the fortified town at several seminal stages of European history. ”

"Verona represents in an extraordinary way the idea of a fortified city during several groundbreaking stages of development in European history."

Integrity, authenticity and protection of the World Heritage city

Castelvecchio

The following properties of a World Heritage property are summarized for Verona as follows:

Integrity
The integrity of the cityscape of Verona is assessed as exceptionally high and the structure as quite homogeneous. The damage that occurred during World War II was also repaired with the utmost care. Threats to this intactness from flooding were minimized at an early stage and there is a low risk of an earthquake.
Authenticity
The authenticity and integrity of the historic center of Verona is high. As for the fortifications of the city, for example, this defense system has been well preserved over the various periods of military use. After the Second World War, the established principles of restoration were applied, which have become a tradition in Italy since the mid-19th century.
Protection and monument management
Many institutions take care of the protection of the world heritage and the listed buildings and monuments are monitored and secured by a state protection law for cultural heritage and commissioned superintendants. There is a UNESCO office for coordination and there is good cooperation between all institutions.

literature

Guido Barbetta: Le mura e le fortificazioni di Verona , Verona 1978.
Arturo Sandrini, Pierpaolo Brugnoli: L'architettura a Verona nell'età della Serenissima (sec. XV – sec. XVIII) , Verona 1988.
Arturo Sandrini, Pierpaolo Brugnoli: L'architettura a Verona dal periodo napoleonico all'età contemporanea , Verona 1994.
Giorgio Borelli: Chiese e monasteri di Verona , Verona 1980.

Web links

Commons : Architecture in Verona by period - collection of images, videos and audio files

English text of the entry in the Verona list accessed on July 1, 2018

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b English text of the entry in the Verona list , accessed on July 1, 2018.

45.4433 10.99753Coordinates: 45 ° 26 ′ 35.9 ″ N , 10 ° 59 ′ 51.1 ″ E

[UNESCO_Listeneintrag_797-1] English text of the entry in the Verona list , accessed on July 1, 2018.