Mestre

Mestre
Mestre
—  Frazione  —
The Clock Tower in Mestre
Mestre is located in Italy
Mestre
Location of Mestre in Italy
Coordinates: 45°29′26″N 12°14′17″E / 45.49056°N 12.23806°E / 45.49056; 12.23806Coordinates: 45°29′26″N 12°14′17″E / 45.49056°N 12.23806°E / 45.49056; 12.23806
Country  Italy
Region Veneto
Province Province of Venice (VE)
Comune Venice
Population
 – Total 170,000 (all mainland of Venice's comune)
Demonym
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 – Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 30170
Dialing code 041

Mestre is a city part of the comune of Venice, in Veneto, northern Italy. The city is connected to Venice by a large rail and road bridge, called Ponte della Libertà (Freedom Bridge).

Municipalità di Mestre-Carpenedo, also known as Mestre centro, one of the six boroughs of Venice's comune, includes 90.000 inhabitants (only Mestre, also knows as ex quartiere 10 Mestre centro, includes 50.000 inhabitants).

The mainland (boroughs of Mestre-Carpenedo, Marghera, Chirignago-Zelarino, Favaro Veneto) of Venice's comune includes 170.000 inhabitants (the historic part of Venice includes only 60.000 inhabitants piu' 30.000 delle isole maggiori per un totale di 90.000 abitanti).

Mestre is the largest city in Italy that hasn't the status of autonomous comune.

Contents

History

According to legend, Mestre was founded by Mesthles, a companion of the hero Antenor, a fugitive from Troy who founded Padua. The true origins of the city are uncertain, although it is known that a Roman oppidum (fortress) existed here, though this was destroyed by Attila and probably rebuilt in the 10th century.

The first historical mention is from an Imperial diploma by Otto III, by which Rambald, count of Treviso, received land in the area named Mestre. In 1152 a papal bull by Pope Eugene III recognized the bishop of Treviso as lord of Mestre, citing the existence of the church of St. Lawrence, a castle and a port. In 1257 the bishops ceded it to Alberico da Romano, podestat of Treviso.

The port benefited from the economic growth of Venice, constituting its main connection to the Italian mainland. In 1274 a fire destroyed the castle, and the inhabitants moved to a location nearby, Castelnuovo (new Castle). No traces remain today of the old castle.

The Scaliger family from Verona conquered Mestre and Treviso in 1323. The Venetians, fearing the excessive Veronese power in the mainland, conquered on September 29, 1337. An artificial channel was built to facilitate the transport of goods.

The Venetian domination ended on July 16, 1797. In 1808 Mestre, following the French practice, constituted itself into a free commune. It remained such under the subsequent Austrian and Italian rules, receiving the title of city in 1923. Three years later, however, a Royal Decree annexed Mestre and some other neighbouring comuni (Chirignago, Zelarino and Favaro Veneto) to the comune of Venezia.

In the 1960s and 1970s Mestre experienced a huge demographic growth, spurred mainly by the construction of a huge industrial district in the nearby town of Marghera. Mestre is now a preferred checkpoint for tourists visiting Venice.

Main sights

  • Cathedral of St. Lawrence (17th century)
  • Palazzo da Re
  • Torre dell'Orologio (Watchtower, 1108)
  • Palazzo podestarile
  • Provvedaria

Points of interest

External links


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • mestre — ou meistre [ mɛstr ] n. m. • 1546, 1762 mar.; it. maestro (di campo) ♦ Anciennt 1 ♦ Milit. MESTRE DE CAMP : officier commandant un régiment d infanterie, de cavalerie. ⇒ colonel. 2 ♦ (1688; provenç. mestre) Mar. Grand mât, maître mât des galères… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • mestre — s. m. 1. Pessoa que ensina. = DOCENTE, PROFESSOR 2. Indivíduo que exerce um ofício por sua conta, ou que trabalha sem indicações técnicas de outrem. 3. Aquele que dirige uma oficina. 4. Artista (pintor ou escultor) de grande mérito. 5. Pessoa que …   Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa

  • Mestre — Mestre, 1) Marktflecken in der Provinz Venedig, am Marcenigo; hier vereinigen sich die von Verona (Mailand) u. Treviso (Triest) kommenden u. nach Venedig führenden Eisenbahnen u. werden durch die 1841–46 erbaute Eisenbahnbrücke (11,087 F. lang… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Mestre — Mestre, Distriktshauptstadt in der ital. Provinz Venedig, 3 km von der Lagune, Knotenpunkt der Eisenbahnlinien von Venedig nach Padua, Treviso und Portogruaro sowie der Sekundärbahn M. Malcontenta, mit dem Palazzo della Provvederia (1525), einem… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Mestre — Mestre, Stadt in der ital. Prov. Venedig, an der Lagune, am Kanal M., mit Malghera (1901) 11.680 E. [Karte: Italien I, 1] …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • -mestre — ⇒ MESTRE, élém. formant Élém. tiré du lat. mestris, de mensis «mois», entrant dans la constr. de subst. masc.: quadrimestre. Durée de quatre mois. L année se divise en trois quadrimestres (LITTRÉ). Rem. À noter aussi qq. empr. au lat. a)… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Mestre — Torre dell Orologio (Glockenturm) Mestre ist ein Teil der Stadt Venedig, auch wenn sie aufgrund der Größe und räumlichen Entfernung als eigene Stadt bezeichnet werden kann. In Mestre leben rund 200.000 Menschen (zum Vergleich: im historischen… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Mestre — Este artículo o sección necesita referencias que aparezcan en una publicación acreditada, como revistas especializadas, monografías, prensa diaria o páginas de Internet fidedignas. Puedes añadirlas así o avisar …   Wikipedia Español

  • Mestre — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Sommaire 1 Lieux 2 Patronymes 3 Voir aussi …   Wikipédia en Français

  • mèstre — 1. mèstressa adj. et n. maître, maîtresse ; seigneur ; patronne ; principale. « Mestresso ! courrès lèu, entendiéu crida dins l iero, crese que lou pichot s es mai toumba dedins ! » F. Mistral. Mèste devant un nom d homme : « Mèste Pèire dóu Mas… …   Diccionari Personau e Evolutiu

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