Desenzano del Garda

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Desenzano del Garda
coat of arms
Desenzano del Garda (Italy)
Desenzano del Garda
Country Italy
region Lombardy
province Brescia  (BS)
Local name Dezensà
Coordinates 45 ° 28 ′  N , 10 ° 32 ′  E Coordinates: 45 ° 28 ′ 0 ″  N , 10 ° 32 ′ 0 ″  E
height 96  m slm
surface 60 km²
Residents 29,599 (Dec. 31, 2019)
Population density 493 inhabitants / km²
Post Code 25015
prefix 030
ISTAT number 017067
Popular name Desenzanesi
Patron saint Sant'Angela Merici
Website www.comune.desenzano.brescia.it

Desenzano del Garda (in the local dialect Dezensà ) is an Italian commune ( comune ) in the province of Brescia in the Lombardy region . With 29,599 inhabitants (as of December 31, 2019) it is the largest city on Lake Garda .

Geographical location

The city lies in a wide gulf in the south-west of Lake Garda, which is bordered to the east by the Sirmione peninsula . The station of the same name on the Milan – Venice line is located south of the city center, and the A 4 / E 70 motorway junction of the same name (Milan – Verona) is about 2 km south of the city .

history

In the Polada peat pit four kilometers away, numerous remains of prehistoric pile dwellings with characteristic handle vessels of the so-called Polada culture were found. The "Giovanni Rambotti " museum (named after the discoverer of the Polada finds) contains the many finds that have come to light in Polada between Desenzano and Lonato del Garda and in the Lavagnone area , a pile dwelling about 5 km south of the city. In addition to ceramics, knife and weapon tips made of pebble stone, weapons, tools, etc., there is also a plow made of oak wood from the South Alpine Bronze Age (around 2200 BC) in the museum. In 2011, the Lavagnone site was included in the inventory of the UNESCO World Heritage Site by UNESCO, along with 110 other sites in 6 Alpine countries .

The remains of a large country house (Villa Romana, see below) document the importance of Desenzano in Roman times. The pagus decensianus (Latin graceful village ) belonged to the jurisdiction of Brescia.

At the time of the Lombards , the place belonged to the march of Verona , then came to the county of Brescia. In the year 879 the area fell to the monastery of San Zeno in Verona, until the whole area of Henry VI. was handed over to the Counts of Desenzano as a fiefdom.

Desenzano reached its heyday under Venetian rule. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the market offered goods from the surrounding valleys of the Sabbia , Trompia and Camonica , and especially cereals. It was one of the most important markets in all of Padania and its price for grain was valid in Lombardy, Treviso Mark and Romagna . Even today there is a big weekly market every Tuesday on the Cesare Battisti promenade .

During the War of the Spanish Succession , Desenzano was first destroyed by the imperial troops in 1701 and by the French troops in 1704 .

At the time of Napoleon it was incorporated into the Mella department of the Cisalpine Republic and then the Kingdom of Italy under Eugène de Beauharnais , which extended over the entire southern and western shores of the lake.

During the Italian Social Republic , Desenzano was from March 1944 the seat of the General Inspectorate for Race , headed by Giovanni Preziosi , which had emerged from the General Directorate for Demography and Race and was particularly concerned with the persecution of Jews in the fascist satellite state in Northern Italy , and until April 1945 Persisted.

Population development

year 1861 1871 1881 1901 1911 1921 1931 1951 1961 1971 1981 1991 2001 2011
Residents 6,425 6,288 5,908 6,721 8,337 9,381 10,915 12,087 14,294 17,900 20,020 21,183 23,651 26,793

Source: ISTAT

Administrative division

The municipality of Desenzano del Garda includes Desenzano del Garda with the municipal seat, the districts Rivoltella del Garda and San Martino della Battaglia as well as the hamlets of Calvata-Conta, Colombare di Castiglione, Grole, Lavagnone, Menasasso, Monte Alto, Montonale Basso, Porte Rosse, San Pietro, Vaccarolo and Venga-Bertani.

Attractions

The old port of Desenzano

The center, the old port, the pier

Desenzano's center is the picturesque Piazza Malvezzi at the old port, where the barges used to dock for the transport of the goods traded on the market. The square is surrounded by an ancient archway and in the center stands the monument of Angela Merici , founder of the Order of Saint Ursula ( Ursulines ). On the beach promenade, where the sarcophagus of Attilia Urbica is located, is the new port, from where the liners of the Navigazione Lago di Garda leave for other places on Lake Garda. The old port is one of Desenzano's most popular postcard subjects and is an important landmark of the city. In the background of the photo you can see the remains of the 11th century castle, with the keep and crenellated wall with smaller towers.

Desenzano pier with the lighthouse

Only a short distance from the piazza are the remains of the Villa Romana from the 2nd – 3rd centuries. Century in the Via Scavi Romani to visit. At the end of the Desenzano pier is the small Desenzano lighthouse .

Santa Maria Maddalena

Santa Maria Maddalena

The cathedral of Desenzano del Garda, a three-aisled basilica, was built over a previous building in 1586 according to the design by Giulio Todeschini . Inside there are several paintings by artists who were among the most famous of their time. So u. a. by Zenone Veronese, Andrea Celesti ( Baptism of Christ ), Palma il Giovane , Domenico Brusasorzi , Gianbettino Cignaroli , Bertanza and Giovanni Battista Tiepolo . Tiepolo's Last Supper is particularly famous , although it is attributed to his son Domenico .

Villa Romana

Emanuele Zamboni, a carpenter from Desenzano, came across the remains of a 1000 m² Roman estate when he was about to start building a house. The villa is considered to be one of the most important testimonies to the great late antique villas in northern Italy: a first phase of construction is ascribed to the 1st century AD, and completion is dated to the beginning of the 4th century. Today, the Villa Romana is an important example of this type of living in northern Italy. The 240 m² remains of floor mosaics and the cavity heating systems, which are considered early forerunners of today's underfloor heating, have been preserved. The mosaics show a quality of execution that can be equated with the famous Pompeian mosaics.

City partner

Through town twinning , Desenzano is connected to:

Personalities

nightlife

There are various discos in Desenzano and the surrounding area. One of them even boasts of being the largest disco in Europe. This makes Desenzano attractive for young people who “make a pilgrimage” from the surrounding area to Desenzano every Friday and Saturday night.

photos

  • Castle (11th century)

  • Alberti Theater

  • Desenzano del Garda lighthouse

  • Desenzano del Garda train station

  • Statue of Angela Merici

  • Alpini monument

Web links

Commons : Desenzano del Garda  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Statistiche demografiche ISTAT. Monthly population statistics of the Istituto Nazionale di Statistica , as of December 31 of 2019.
  2. ↑ Maria Lisa Piaterra, Valentino Rodofli: Quando a Desenzano si la schedava "razza". In: bresciaoggi.it. January 19, 2018, accessed January 30, 2019 (Italian).
  3. ^ Statuto Comunale. (pdf) In: comune.desenzano.brescia.it. Retrieved January 31, 2019 (Italian).