Murazzi

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The Murazzi between Pellestrina and Ottagono Ca 'Roman , on the left the Adriatic Sea, on the right the lagoon

The Murazzi are a defensive structure of the Republic of Venice made of Istrian marble , which also served to protect the lagoon from erosion. This gigantic structure was built between 1744 and 1782.

location

The three main sections are spread over the Lido - starting at Ca 'Bianca, the first section extends to the vicinity of Alberoni - on Pellestrina - starting at Santa Maria del Mare , the second section extends for around 10 km to Ca' Roman and around Sottomarina . The third section extends from Forte San Felice for more than 1.2 km to Sottomarina Vecchia. Another 570 m of this last section have almost disappeared. Fortifications such as the Del Buon Castello served to defend the wall.

history

Memorial plaque in memory of Bernardino Zendrini

Vincenzo Maria Coronelli made the proposal for this building in 1716; Bernardino Zendrini took over the execution . The previous buildings, mostly wooden protective works, had to be renewed every five years, which meant a high financial and personnel burden for Venice. In addition, wood was becoming increasingly rare. Already around 1700 proposals were made to replace the wooden palisades with stone ones. But the Istrian stone, which was used so widely in Venice, could not withstand the salt water. Therefore, a forgotten material, the pozzolana , was used. The superintendent of the waters, rivers and lagoons Bernardino Zendrini had got to know this stone on a business trip to Tuscany. There and in Campania he had seen that the mixture in salt water becomes hard as stone.

Zendrini had two-meter-high artificial cliffs built in front of the building, behind which there is a moderately sloping area 6 m long. Only then did the water hit a 4 m high wall. This consists of Istrian stone, which is held together by pozzolana. Sassanti were responsible for maintaining the wall . From 1744 to 1755 about 4 km of the Murazzi were built, another 1.2 km followed to protect Chioggia , the city in the south of the lagoon. Zendrini was followed by the Proto alle Acque Tommaso Temanza , which, however, had to struggle with financing problems and supply bottlenecks.

In 1825 and 1966 the structures were affected by the respective record floods. Today they are protected with reinforced breakwaters.

See also

swell

  • Giovanni B. Contarini: I Lidi Veneti difesi dalla Santissima Vergine di Pellestrina , Venice 1745.

literature

  • Susanna Grillo: Venezia. Le difese a mare.Profilo architettonico delle opere di difesa idraulica nei litorali di Venezia , Venice 1989.

Remarks

  1. ^ Norbert Huse : Venice: From the art to build a city in water, CH Beck 2005, 2nd edition 2008, pp. 25-27.
  2. ↑ Salvatore Ciriacono: Building on Water. Venice, Holland, and the Construction of the European Landscape in Early Modern Times , Oxford-New York: Berghahn, 2006, p. 138.

Coordinates: 45 ° 15 ′ 32.4 "  N , 12 ° 17 ′ 58.3"  E