Description of the attraction
The Arsenal is undoubtedly one of the most famous landmarks in Venice and is a huge shipyard that is largely out of use today. It is located in the eastern region of Venice - Castello.
The first shipyard on this site dates back to the 8th century, when Venice was just a remote area of the Byzantine Empire. The origin of the name Arsenal is still unknown, but some scholars suggest that this is a distorted Arabic word "dar al-sina", which, in fact, means "shipyard". The Arsenal was one of the city's seven shipyards where merchant and military ships were built and repaired. After the New Arsenal (Arsenale Nuovo) was added to it in 1320, it was here that all the warships of Venice and most of the merchant ships began to be built. Here they were served. In the same years, a huge number of residential buildings for shipyard workers and several specialized workshops were built around the Arsenal. And in 1473, another shipyard was added to the Arsenal - Arsenale Nuovissimo.
The Venetians revolutionized shipbuilding: they abandoned the ancient Roman technology, according to which the ship's hull was first built, and then everything else was erected around it. Instead, they built the "shell" of the ship first and then added different parts to it. By the early 16th century, Arsenal engineers were able to launch one ship per day due to the fact that they standardized ship design and hired narrow specialists for each stage of the construction process. At the peak of its production, Arsenal provided jobs for over 16 thousand people! It was even called "a city within a city." Arsenal engineers were also among the pioneers in the production of firearms - they were among the first to produce guns and pistols in the 1370s.
At the beginning of the 16th century, a three-masted galley was first built at the Arsenal - it was a huge vessel, similar to a floating fortress, the sole purpose of which was to serve as a platform for powerful sea cannons. True, the galeas turned out to be unviable, since it was too slow and difficult to maneuver. Realizing their mistake, the workers of the Arsenal soon gave birth to the galleon - another floating fortress, armed with the latest technology, which was destined to play a major role in the history of mankind.
The main gateway to the Arsenal was Porta Magna, built in 1460 by the architect Antonio Gambello and designed by Jacopo Bellini. An arched gate topped with a triangular pediment and the famous winged lions guarding the entrance are framed by double pilasters. Classical statues can be seen on marble plinths all around. Porta Magna was the first Renaissance building in Venice. The lions on either side of the gate were brought from Greece in 1687. One of them, Piraeus, bears 11th century inscriptions in medieval Scandinavian script.
The arsenal was partially destroyed after the capture of Venice by Napoleon in 1797. Despite the fact that at the end of the 19th century, the Italian government spent significant funds on turning the shipyard into a naval base, it could no longer meet the requirements of modern shipbuilding. Today the Arsenal is only partially used as a naval base. In addition, there is a research center, an exhibition hall and a center dedicated to the history of shipbuilding. Most of the territory is abandoned.
