Description of the attraction
Sforza Castle is a castle in Milan, built in the 15th century by order of Duke Francesco Sforza on the ruins of a 14th century fort. Later renovated and enlarged, in the 16th and 17th centuries the castle was one of the largest citadels in Europe. In 1891-1905, it was significantly rebuilt according to the project of Luca Beltrami, and today it houses several city museums.
The first castle on this site was built at the end of the 14th century and was known as Castello di Porta Jova (or Porta Dzubia). Subsequently, the rulers from the Visconti clan expanded the castle several times until it turned into a rectangular structure with four towers at the corners and seven-meter thick walls. In those years, the fortification served as the main residence of the Visconti, but was destroyed in 1447 during the short reign of the Golden Ambrosian Republic.
In 1450, Francesco Sforza started the reconstruction of the castle in order to turn it into his residence. To work on the design of the central tower, he hired the sculptor and architect Filarete - to this day, the tower bears his name, Torre del Filarete. The scenery was created by local artists. In 1476, during the reign of the Duchess of Bona of Savoy, another tower was built, which received her name.
At the end of the 15th century, Ludovico Sforza, who became Duke of Milan, summoned numerous artists to decorate the castle - among them Leonardo da Vinci, who painted several rooms with frescoes, Bernardino Zenale, Bernardino Butinone, Bramante, who worked in the rooms of the Sala del Tesoro and the Zala della Balla … However, in the future, Castello Sforzesco was attacked several times by Italian, French and German troops, which could not but affect its appearance. In 1521, when the castle was used as an armory, the Torre del Filarete was blown up, and only later, with the accession of Milan to Francesco II Sforza, the entire castle was restored. In 1550, work began to give Castello its modern hexagonal star shape. At the same time, 12 bastions were added to it. The outer fortifications were 3 km long and covered an area of almost 26 hectares.
Most of the outer fortifications were destroyed during the reign of Napoleon during the Cisalpine Republic, and around the castle, on the side facing the city, a semicircular Piazza Castello was erected. On the opposite side is Piazza d'Armi. After the unification of Italy, Castello Sforzesco lost its military status and was transferred to the city, and one of the largest parks in Milan, Parco Sempione, was laid out on its territory. Another reconstruction of the castle was undertaken in the 20th century, as the building was badly damaged during the bombing of Milan during the Second World War.
Today, the Sforza castle houses several city museums at once - the Pinacoteca with a collection of works by Andrea Mantegna, Canaletto, Tiepolo, Vincenzo Foppa, Tiziano Vecellino and Tintoretto; The Museum of Antique Art with sculptures by Michalangelo; Museum of Musical Instruments; Egyptian Museum; the prehistoric collection of the Archaeological Museum of Milan; a collection of works of applied art; the collection of prints by Achille Bertarelli; and the Museum of Antique Furniture and Wooden Sculpture.
