Castello San Giorgio
The Castello San Giorgio , named after St. George , is a military fortification on the heights of the northern Italian city of La Spezia . It can be reached via Via XXVII Marzo , which runs through the former city wall .
history
middle Ages
The original castle , which was rebuilt over the centuries, was on causing of Nicolò Fieschi built in 1262 on the site of a smaller, existing fortress. With this extension, the influence of the count over the region should be strengthened. In 1273, however, La Spezia was captured by the troops of the Republic of Genoa under the leadership of Admiral Oberto Doria , with the Castello being destroyed. With this military operation, the entire area of La Spezia became the property of the Doria family .
In 1343, when the Doge Simone Boccanegra declared the city the new Podestà , the castle was rebuilt. In the same period, the new city wall was built, which still exists today over a length of 300 meters. On this remaining section of the wall, the characteristic Waiblingen battlements and the battlement can still be viewed .
The ancient city wall enclosed the center of La Spezia in a rectangular shape. Along today's Via Biassa , it led to Via Colombo and Via Sapri , to reach the castle in an arch at the Chiesa dei Santi Giovanni ed Agostino . However, with this course the Chiesa di Santa Maria remained outside the city wall. Since it would have given the Visconti troops a military advantage in a siege, it was sacrificed for tactical considerations and demolished in 1436. The church was later rebuilt inside the city wall.
17th and 18th centuries
In 1606 the fortress was changed again by adding an upper castle to it. The measure was carried out by the Genoese, who also built other fortresses in the region or had them expanded with the aim of improving the security situation on the Gulf of La Spezia . In 1609 the garrison was increased by 20 men. She also received a captain , two artillerymen , a drummer and 16 soldiers.
With the decree of October 26, 1609, the Castello was given special importance: the lord of the castle, who had to belong to the nobility , was forbidden to leave the fortress under penalty of death . On April 30, 1757, the title "Captain of La Spezia" was changed to the more dignified "Governor of La Spezia". Gio Batta Raggi held this position at the time .
19th century
The defensive structures of the province of La Spezia were reorganized under the Kingdom of Sardinia . The castle of San Giorgio was subordinated to the city administration and in 1885 was in danger of being demolished because a city hospital was to be built in its place. This could be prevented by the responsible regional office. As a result, the hospital was built on the hill of San Cirpiano , where the Ospedale Sant'Andrea is located today .
Restoration work
In 1934, at the urging of the library director at the time, Ubaldo Formentini , the city council commissioned restoration work. However, the main repair work was not carried out until 1970 under the supervision of the sopraintendent for natural and architectural assets of Genoa and Pisa . The work finally only started in 1985 and ended in 1998.
Today the castle houses the archaeological collection of the “Ubaldo Formentini” museum, which was previously exhibited in the insufficient space of the “Mazzini” library on Corso Cavour .
gallery
The entrance
The park with a watchtower
View from the castle over La Spezia
View from the castle over La Spezia
