Forte Spagnolo

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Forte Spagnolo

The Forte Spagnolo (Italian: Spanish fortress ) in L'Aquila is one of the most impressive Renaissance fortifications in central and southern Italy. The locals also commonly call it il Castello . When earthquake in 2009 it was badly damaged and is also 10 years still closed after the quake.

history

In the 15th century, L'Aquila grew to become the second most powerful city in the Kingdom of Naples . There were half a million sheep, and wool and saffron were sold all over Europe; all of this was unfortunately lost when the Aquilans sided with the French in the controversy between the French and the Spanish for the succession to the throne. In 1504 the city was occupied by the Spanish conquerors. The French recaptured the city in 1527 with the support of the citizens and the surrounding population. But just one year later, the viceroy Filiberto of Orange , who ruled on behalf of Charles V of Spain, finally defeated the Aquilan rebels. To secure his power, he ordered the construction of a fortress on the highest hill north of the city. Exactly there, King Ladislaus had a garrison built in 1401 to control the rebellious and rebellious Aquilans ( ad reprimendam aquilanorum audaciam ).

The project was entrusted to the celebrated Spanish architect Don Pirro Aloisio Escriva, a great expert on firearms who had already started building the Castel Sant'Elmo (Naples) in Naples. The discovery of gunpowder forced the development of new methods of defense. Escribá led the project for two years before handing the task over to Gian Girolamo Escribà. During the next 30 years the enormous taxes levied on the townspeople for the construction of the fortress led to the impoverishment of the town. In 1567, she begged the Spaniards to stop the construction; the royal court gave in to this request and work was halted. Because of this, parts of the fortress were never completed. The construction of the fortress cost a huge amount for the time it was built. Therefore, Aquila was forced to sell the silver-clad box that contained the body of Saint Bernardine of Siena .

The fortress, which was not built for the purpose of defending the city but only served the purpose of controlling the city (the cannons are aimed at the city) and functioned as a completely autonomous structure, was never besieged. Their cannons, always ready to fire, were silent for centuries: the only victim was the city itself, the decline of which began with the start of construction and continued under Spanish rule.

In 1798, the townspeople attacked the fortress, which at that time was occupied by the French who had invaded Italy. This attack was unsuccessful. After that, the building served as a prison. After 1860 it became a military headquarters. During the Second World War , the fortress was occupied and damaged by the Germans. Between 1949 and 1951 the fortress was restored and since then it has housed the National Museum of Abruzzo ( Museo Nazionale d'Abruzzo ).

In the 2009 earthquake , the upper floor and the bridge in particular were badly damaged. Restoration work began in the summer of 2012. The museum is therefore still closed five years after the quake.

In the park next to Forte Spagnolo, a provisional auditorium was built in 2012 at the expense of the Province of Trento and based on a plan by Renzo Piano to replace the concert hall in the castle.

architecture

goal

Escrivà planned a gigantic fortress, which should consist of four bastions, which were to be connected by mighty walls 60 meters long with a wall thickness of 30 m at the base and 5 m at the top. The walls were reinforced by massive battlements with loopholes for archers and openings for long-range cannons. Around the entire fortress there is a moat (which was never filled with water) with a width of 23 m and a depth of 14 m. This was to prevent the opposing artillery from taking direct fire on the wall base.

Escrivà did not forget a detail: the sloping ramparts were supposed to divert enemy fire to the sides; each bastion consisted of 2 separate and completely autonomous surroundings - called casemates - in themselves almost independent fortresses within the fortress. The city's aqueduct was also diverted to be the first to supply the fortress. In the event of a rebellion in the rebellious city, the water supply could also be cut off.

In addition, Don Pirro planned a special anti-mine corridor, a kind of free space between the outer and inner walls that could only be entered by one man at a time (this can still be visited today). The aim of this measure was to protect the fortress from sappers who dug tunnels in order to collapse the walls with underground explosions. A whole mound was removed to use its white stone to build the fortress. The town's bells were melted down to cast the fortress cannons.

Web links

Commons : Forte Spagnolo  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Terremoto, all'Aquila al via il restauro del Forte Spagnolo. Adnkronos , May 30, 2012, accessed March 31, 2014 .
  2. ↑ Museo Nazionale d'Abruzzo. Retrieved March 31, 2014 .
  3. ^ Patrizio Trapasso: Al Castello l'auditorium “temporaneo” by Renzo Piano. 6aprile.it, October 11, 2010, accessed March 31, 2014 .
  4. ↑ L'Aquila, Inaugurazione Auditorium e intervista a Renzo Piano. 6aprile.it, October 7, 2012, accessed March 31, 2014 .

Coordinates: 42 ° 21 '14.3 "  N , 13 ° 24' 17.2"  E