Giovanni Correr

Giovanni Correr (born May 28, 1798 in Venice , † January 3, 1871 in Venice) was appointed mayor ( Podestà ) of Venice, Austria at the time , from July 1838 to August 1857 . He was followed by Alessandro Marcello in office.

Life

Giovanni Correr came from two noble families in Venice. His parents were Pietro Correr and Elena Contarini. He attended the Seminario di S. Cipriano on the island of Murano . At the age of 21 he married Adriana Zen, who also belonged to one of the older noble families. In 1822 he became assessor in the city of Venice administration.

Venice, which belonged to Austria from 1815 to 1866, was given a three-year Podestà during this period, which was often inadequately translated as 'mayor'. The commune proposed three candidates, one of which the Austrian emperor selected.

In 1837 Correr was appointed Podestà, but only in 1838 with the death of his predecessor did he take over all functions of the mayor, who at that time was more of a kind of administrative director. He held this position until his resignation in May 1857. In 1838, Correr took an initiative together with the Podestà of Milan to achieve greater independence for the northern Italian municipalities. In 1844 the two men stayed with Metternich in the capital Vienna to discuss the same question. In 1848, in the face of the European revolutions, they themselves were treated like accomplices of the revolutionaries. In the same year Correr left power in the city to the Venetian revolutionaries under the leadership of Daniele Manin , even though he had previously successfully applied for permission together with Manin to set up a civil guard in order to prevent riots. This guard was subordinate to Angelo Mengaldo. However, Manin declined to join the advisory committee set up by Giovanni Correr to help address "the unpredictability of the moment". The Repubblica di San Marco was proclaimed and it resisted the Austrian reconquest until August 23, 1849.

Giovanni Correr, Cristoforo Pigazzi and Luigi Alvisi founded a company as early as 1843 after a bridge was to connect Venice to the mainland, which was completed in 1846, to invest capital in hotels in order to participate in the expected tourism. However, the project of a hotel on St. Mark's Square was rejected by Vienna.

Even after the Austrians were forcibly returned, Correr remained in office, even if the state of siege was not lifted until May 1, 1854. Correr organized the historical regattas on the occasion of the visit of the imperial couple on December 17, 1856 and, as president, was responsible for the Asili Infantili , a kind of kindergarten.

After the end of his office, Correr was quickly forgotten and spent his last years as mayor of Lozzo municipality . In 1857 he sold the family's summer residence, Villa Correr di Altaura, to an Antonio Ferrari.

Remarks

1. ↑ Una città turistica , website of the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana .
2. ↑ L'ultima dominazione austriaca e la liberazione del Veneto in 1866 , Istituto per la storia del Risorgimento italiano. Comitato Regional Veneto, pp. 95-101.