Probably everyone would like to visit Venice. Where else can you see the flooded streets, gondoliers, slowly sailing along the canals and singing sticky songs? But to the locals it all seems commonplace. And since the conversation went about it, let's find out what the population of the city of Venice is.
Where is the city
This city is located, one of the most amazing in the world, in the very north-east of Italy. On this side, the peninsula, familiar to everyone in the school curriculum due to its unusual shape, is washed by the Venice Lagoon - one of the bays of the Adriatic Sea.
When was founded
The distant 421 year of our era became the official date of the founding of the city. For the inhabitants of the Roman Empire, these were terrible times. The state, whose power was considered indestructible, which managed to capture almost the entire world known at that time (part of Europe entered the Roman Empire, including Great Britain, the northern coast of Africa and some regions of Asia) was rapidly collapsing. No one could protect ordinary people from hordes of barbarians who were given the opportunity to atrocity and do what they want in captured cities.
It was in such a terrible situation, fleeing the bloodthirsty Goths, that a group of refugees founded a small settlement on marshy islands, hoping that the barbarians would not come here, being content with rich trophies in looted cities.
The next wave of immigrants surged into these unsightly islets in 453. It was then that the Huns of Attila broke into the northeastern regions of modern Italy. One of the largest cities, Aquileia, was completely destroyed. Some surviving residents sought refuge and found it in the swamps.
The city grew quite quickly and even almost flourished. Fishing in total with salt production provided the city with everything necessary - residents of the mainland were ready to pay generously for wood, food, and clean drinking water for these demanded goods.
However, this could not continue for long - for greater autonomy, the inhabitants of Venice founded the settlement Terraferma. Although officially it was considered part of the city, it was located on the mainland, providing the inhabitants of the island with the necessary supplies that could not be obtained locally.
By the way, Venice got its name from the name of the tribe of Venets, who lived in these parts in the third century BC. At the peak of the empire’s power, Roman troops seized these lands, establishing the large and beautiful city of Aquileia, of which we already mentioned the sad fate.
City dimensions
Calculating the area of a city is much more difficult than finding out what population is in Venice, because the number of people can always be calculated. But when measuring the area there are serious disputes. Some experts believe that only the mainland needs to be calculated, adding to it the total area of the islands. Others argue that canals are an integral part of the city and should also be counted, although this significantly increases the area.
To date, the second version is considered more correct. So, the total area of all islands, canals and the mainland is 416 square kilometers - the city occupies a fairly large area.
The population of the city today
There is a task on the Internet, according to which the population of Venice is 4, 300, 000. Of course, this information is completely implausible. In Italy there are only two million-plus cities. This is Rome with a population of 2.9 million people and Milan, home to 1.3 million people.
Well, Venice is not even one of the ten largest cities in Italy. And to consider it the largest city in the country is definitely not worth it.
According to experts, today in the city of Venice the population is about 261 thousand people. So, by Russian standards, this is a rather small town - approximately at the level of the provincial regional center.
However, it is worth considering that Venice is the name of not only a city, but also a large province, as well as an entire region. But even in this case, the assertion that the population of Venice is 4, 300, 000 people does not appear anywhere. After all, the province of Venice, the center of which is the city of the same name, has a population of only 858 thousand people. But if we take the whole region of Venice, the number will be very impressive - almost five million people. Unsurprisingly, this region is the fifth most populous in Italy.
The population in different years and centuries
The history of any city is interesting. Shocks and wars, dawn and progress - all this replaces each other, affecting the economic situation and, accordingly, the population.
Let's see how in the city of Venice the population varied from year to year, from century to century.
The first accurate data reflect the situation in the middle of the fifteenth century. At this moment, the city was not just big, but one of the largest in Europe. In the city of Venice, the population in the 15th century was about 180 thousand people! Paris was the only city in Europe that could surpass it in this indicator. In subsequent years, the population has declined significantly for several reasons.
As a result, by the end of the sixteenth century, about 135 thousand people lived in the glorious town. The city was in a convenient place for trade, ships called at the port, further enriching the Venetians. Alas, at the beginning of the seventeenth century, namely in 1630, a terrible misfortune fell upon the city - the black plague.
Despite the fact that Venice was ahead of most European cities in terms of sanitation, a poor understanding of medicine, epidemics and infection led to the death of about five hundred people every day. The disease did not distinguish between children and the elderly, rich and poor. A large number of people have died. Many, fleeing the plague, were forced to leave their homes, seek refuge in other cities (often carrying the disease with them). As a result, by 1633 the population of the city of Venice was reduced to 102 thousand people.
When the epidemic passed and the surviving refugees returned home (around the beginning of the 1640s) the population increased to 120 thousand. After that, in the city of Venice, the population continued to grow - rather slowly, but almost constantly.
A bit of history
The history of Venice is also interesting because during its existence the city has repeatedly changed citizenship. As already mentioned, BC lived here Venets, which were partially killed, partially crowded out, and partially assimilated by the Romans.
In the first years of its existence, Venice was a rather unpleasant place - swamps, dirty canals, half-starved impoverished people … However, gradually hard work, a convenient location and a good combination of circumstances led to the fact that at the end of the seventh century the city turned into a republic. Its full name sounded like the Most Serene Republic of Venice. Of course, the Republic of Venice had a much larger population, area and influence than the city. She controlled the territory around the city, as well as part of the land on which Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina are located today.
Then came the sunset of the republic. For example, the island of Crete was captured by the Turks. And at the end of the eighteenth century, these lands were captured by Napoleon. True, the brave inhabitants of Venice revolted, but they failed to win. After the victory of the Russian troops over Napoleon, Venice took citizenship of the Austrian Empire.
And in 1866, when the Third Italian War of Independence took place, the city finally became part of Italy, where it remains for the past one and a half centuries.
What is Venice made of?
Many people imagine this city as one huge maze of narrow streets flooded with water. But actually it is not. Moreover, today the island part, although it is the most interesting tourist attraction, occupies a relatively small part of the city. The former Terra-farm has rapidly grown and significantly exceeds the historical part in area.
But still, in their dreams, tourists and lovers of romance represent precisely these cities. Well, there really is something to look at!
The historical center of Venice was located on 118 islands, which are separated by one and a half hundred canals and straits. These islands are connected by four hundred bridges, some of which were built in the sixteenth century!
A few words about climate
The climate in Venice is very mild, as in most coastal areas. In summer it is never too hot, and in winter the temperature rarely drops below zero. Snow falls here very, very rarely.
The coldest month is January. The average minimum for this month is -1 degrees Celsius, and the average maximum is +6 degrees. Well, the hottest month is July. The average maximum and minimum are 28 and 18 degrees, respectively.
However, it is worth considering that the humidity in these places is very high - even in the continental part, not to mention the island. Therefore, any differences are felt very strongly.
How the Russian tree saves Venice
It is surprising to many people how houses built on water have stood for tens or even hundreds of years. After all, when they were built, reinforced concrete and even ordinary concrete were not yet used in construction. And wood in water should rot very quickly, lose strength.
In fact, everything is quite simple. At the time of the ups, Venice was actively buying wood in … Russia. Moreover, far from any tree was used - wise architects demanded that larch be used to build the foundations of houses. This material is very difficult to process - when hit with an ax, the latter just flies off with a loud ringing. But it is able to lie hundreds of years in the water and not begin to rot, while maintaining strength and ensuring the durability of buildings.
Venice Tourism
One of the main income items of modern Venice is tourism. Unsurprisingly - the city is considered one of the most romantic places in the world, losing only to Paris.
In 2013 alone, about 600 cruise liners, traveling around the Mediterranean Sea, came to the city port. By the way, the port itself plays a very important role in the life of not only the city, but the whole country. It is the only one in Italy connected to the river network of the northern regions, which allows delivering goods inland. About 18 thousand people are involved in work here - almost 5% of the population of the city!
At least 20 million tourists visit Venice annually. Almost half of the locals are involved in tourism. Moreover, they try to please customers so that they visit the city again and again. The total number of souvenir shops in the city is approaching fifty. Many of them have a rich history and are inherited for several generations.
A bit about gondoliers
It is impossible to talk about Venice and never to mention one of the main symbols of a romantic city. Of course, we are talking about gondoliers.
Locals take gondolas extremely seriously, carefully preserving the traditions of their ancestors. They are made using old tools according to the drawings left by the old masters. The width of the gondola is 142 centimeters, and the length is as much as 11! This design weighs as much as 600 kilograms, but in the hands of an experienced gondolier it is surprisingly obedient, easily turns and glides silently along the surface of the water.
The total number of gondoliers is always 452 people. By the time one of them retires, the other is already training to take his place.
Interesting Facts
Surprisingly, in a modern city like Venice, there is completely no sewage! Twice a day, the tide removes all the waste accumulated in the canals.
You can feed pigeons only in one place in the city - on St. Mark's Square, the patron saint of Venice. If you do it in any other place, you can get a serious fine.
It is in this city that real estate prices are much higher than in any other locality in Italy.
Traditions are very strong here. The Venetian, having chosen one cafe or bar, goes to it practically all his life. Of course, the owners know their regular customers in person and offer them good discounts.
