Probably everyone would like to visit Venice. Where else can you see flooded streets, gondoliers slowly sailing through the canals and singing lingering songs? But to the locals, all this seems ordinary. And while we're on the subject, let's find out what the population of the city of Venice is.
Where is the city
This city, one of the most amazing in the world, is located in the very northeast of Italy. From this side, the peninsula, familiar to everyone from the school curriculum due to its unusual shape, is washed by the Venetian Lagoon - one of the bays of the Adriatic Sea.
When was founded
The official date of foundation of the city was the distant 421 AD. For the inhabitants of the Roman Empire, these were terrible times. The state, whose power was considered invincible, which managed to capture almost the entire world known at that time (part of Europe, including Great Britain, the northern coast of Africa and some regions of Asia, entered the Roman Empire) was rapidly collapsing. No one could protect ordinary people from the hordes of barbarians, who got the opportunity to run amok and do what they want incaptured cities.
It was in such a terrible situation, fleeing from the bloodthirsty Goths, that a group of refugees founded a small settlement on swampy islands, hoping that the barbarians would not come here, content with rich trophies in the plundered cities.
The next wave of settlers poured into these unsightly islands in 453. It was then that Attila's Huns broke into the northeastern regions of modern Italy. One of the largest cities, Aquileia, was completely destroyed. Some survivors sought shelter and found it in the swamps.
The city grew rather quickly and almost prospered. Fishing, combined with the extraction of s alt, provided the city with everything necessary - for these sought-after goods, residents from the mainland were willing to pay generously with timber, food, and clean drinking water.
However, this could not last long - for greater autonomy, the inhabitants of Venice founded the settlement of Terraferma. Although officially 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 Veneti tribe, who lived in these parts in the third century BC. At the peak of the empire's power, the Roman troops seized these lands, founding the large and beautiful city of Aquileia, the sad fate of which we have already mentioned.
City size
Calculating the area of a city is much more difficult than finding out what the population of Venice is, becausethe number of people can always be counted. But when measuring the area there are serious disputes. Some experts believe that only the mainland should be calculated, adding to it the total area of the islands. Others argue that the canals are an integral part of the city and should also be counted, although this greatly increases the area.
To date, the second version is considered more correct. So, the total area of all the islands, canals and the mainland is 416 square kilometers - the city covers a fairly large area.
City population today
There is a task circulating on the Internet, according to which the population of Venice is 4,300,000 people. Of course, this information is completely implausible. There are only two million-plus cities in Italy. These are Rome with 2.9 million people and Milan with 1.3 million people.
Well, Venice is not even among the ten largest cities in Italy. And it is definitely not worth considering it the largest city in the country.
According to experts, today the city of Venice has a population of about 261 thousand people. So, by Russian standards, this is a rather small town - approximately at the level of a provincial regional center.
However, here 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 statement that the population of Venice is 4,300,000 people,does not appear anywhere. After all, the province of Venice, whose center is the city of the same name, has a population of only 858 thousand people. But if we take the entire region of Venice, then the number will be very impressive - almost five million people. No wonder - this area is the fifth most populous in Italy.
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 the population of the city of Venice has changed from year to year, from century to century.
The first accurate data reflect the situation in the middle of the fifteenth century. At that 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 respect. In subsequent years, the population declined significantly for a number of reasons.
As a result of this, by the end of the sixteenth century, about 135 thousand people lived in the glorious town. The city was located in a convenient place for trade, ships entered 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 cities in Europe in terms of sanitary preparation, a poor understanding of medicine, epidemics and infection led to the fact that daily people diedabout half a thousand people. The disease did not distinguish between children and old people, 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 in the city of Venice, the population was reduced to 102 thousand people.
When the epidemic passed and the surviving refugees returned home (around the early 1640s), the population increased to 120,000. After that, the population of Venice 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, before our era, Veneti lived here, who were partially killed, partially forced out, and partially assimilated by the Romans.
In the early years of its existence, Venice was a rather unpleasant place - swamps, dirty canals, half-starved poor people … However, gradually hard work, a convenient location and a fortunate combination of circumstances led to the fact that at the end of the seventh century the city turned into a republic. Its full name was 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 area around the city, as well as part of the land on which today Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina are located.
Then came the decline 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 capturedNapoleon. True, the brave inhabitants of Venice raised an uprising, but they failed to win. After the victory of the Russian troops over Napoleon, Venice took the 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 has remained for the past century and a half.
What is Venice made of
Many people imagine this city as one huge labyrinth of narrow streets flooded with water. But actually it is not. Moreover, today the island part, although it is the most interesting attraction for tourists, occupies a relatively small part of the city. The former Terrafarm has grown rapidly and is much larger than the historical part.
But still, tourists and lovers of romance represent these cities in their dreams. Well, there really is something to see here!
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 seaside areas. In summer it is never too hot here, and in winter the temperature rarely drops below zero. Snow falls here very, very rarely.
The coldest month is January. This month's average low is -1 degrees Celsius and the average high is +6 degrees. Well, the mosthot month - July. The average high and low are 28 and 18 degrees respectively.
However, it should be borne in mind 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 a Russian tree saves Venice
Many people are surprised how houses built on water stand for tens and 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.
It's actually quite simple. During the upswings, Venice actively purchased wood from … 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 struck with an ax, the latter simply flies off with a loud ringing. But it is able to lie for hundreds of years in water and not start to rot, maintaining strength and ensuring the durability of buildings.
Tourism in Venice
One of the main income sources of modern Venice is tourism. No wonder - the city is considered one of the most romantic places in the world, second only to Paris.
In 2013 alone, about 600 cruise liners arrived at the city's port, making a trip across the Mediterranean Sea. 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 rivernetworks of the northern regions, which allows delivering goods inland. About 18 thousand people are involved in the work here - almost 5% of the city's population!
At least 20 million tourists visit Venice every year. Almost half of the local residents are involved in tourism. And 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 half a thousand. Many of them have a rich history and have been passed down through the generations.
A little about gondoliers
It is impossible to talk about Venice and never mention one of the main symbols of the romantic city. Of course, we are talking about gondoliers.
Locals take gondolas very 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 silently glides over the water surface.
The total number of gondoliers is always 452. By the time one of them retires, the other is already in training to take his place.
Interesting facts
Surprisingly, in such a modern city as Venice, there is no sewerage at all! Twice a day, the tide removes all waste accumulated in the channels.
You can only feed pigeons in one place in the city -in 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. A Venetian who has taken a fancy to one cafe or bar goes to it almost all his life. Of course, the owners know regular customers by sight and give them good discounts.
Conclusion
This concludes our article. You have learned a lot of interesting facts about the amazing city of Venice: information about the population, history, tourism and much more. Surely after that, the desire to visit here became even stronger!
