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| Murano 2010 |
Murano is a series of islands linked
by bridges in the Venetian Lagoon, northern Italy. It lies about
1.5 km north of Venice and measures about 1.5 km (0.93 mi)
across with a population of just over 5,000 (2004 figures). It is famous for
its glass making, particularly lampworking.
It was once an independent comune, but is now a frazione of
the comune of Venice.
Murano was settled by the Romans,
then from the sixth century by people from Altinum and Oderzo. At
first, the island prospered as a fishing port and
through production of salt. It was also a centre for trade, through the port it
controlled on Sant'Erasmo. From the eleventh century, it
began to decline as islanders moved to Dorsoduro.
It had a Grand Council, like that
of Venice, but from the thirteenth century Murano was ultimately governed by
a podestà from
Venice. Unlike the other islands in the Lagoon, Murano
minted its own coins.
Early in the second millenium, hermits of the Camaldolese
Order occupied one of the islands, seeking a place of solitude
for their way of life. There they founded the Monastery of St. Michael (Italian: S.
Michele di Murano). This monastery became a great center of learning and
printing. The famous cartographer, Fra Mauro,
whose maps were so crucial to European exploration of the world was a monk of this
community. The monastery was suppressed in 1810 by French forces
under Napoleon in
the course of their conquest of the Italian
peninsula, and the monks finally expelled in 1814. The grounds then became
Venice's major cemetery.
In 1291, all the glassmakers in Venice
were forced to move to Murano due to the risk of fires. In the following
century, exports began,
and the island became famous, initially for glass beads and mirrors. Aventurine
glass was invented on the island, and for a while Murano was
the main producer of glass in Europe. The island later became known forchandeliers.
Although decline set in during the eighteenth century, glassmaking is still the
island's main industry. [Wiki]
Fri Dec 16, 2011
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