Salò
Encyclopedia
Salò is a town and commune
in the Province of Brescia
in the region of Lombardy
(northern Italy
) on the banks of Lake Garda
. The city was the capital of Italian Social Republic
from 1943 to 1945, with the ISR often being called the "Republic of Salò" (Repubblica di Salò in Italian
).
became a stronghold of the Milanese Visconti
family. From 1440 the town came under the control of the Republic of Venice
. Salò received the honorary title of city with a royal decree on December 15, 1860.
From 1943 to 1945 Salò was the de facto capital of Benito Mussolini
's Nazi
-backed puppet state
, the Italian Social Republic
, also known as the Republic of Salò.
Commune
Commune may refer to:In society:* Commune, a human community in which resources are shared* Commune , a township or municipality* One of the Communes of France* An Italian Comune...
in the Province of Brescia
Province of Brescia
The Province of Brescia is a Province in Lombardy, Italy. It borders with the province of Sondrio in the N and NW, the province of Bergamo in the W, province of Cremona in the SW and S, the province of Mantova to the S, and to the east, the province of Verona and Trentino .Source for statistical...
in the region of Lombardy
Lombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...
(northern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
) on the banks of Lake Garda
Lake Garda
Lake Garda is the largest lake in Italy. It is located in Northern Italy, about half-way between Brescia and Verona, and between Venice and Milan. Glaciers formed this alpine region at the end of the last ice age...
. The city was the capital of Italian Social Republic
Italian Social Republic
The Italian Social Republic was a puppet state of Nazi Germany led by the "Duce of the Nation" and "Minister of Foreign Affairs" Benito Mussolini and his Republican Fascist Party. The RSI exercised nominal sovereignty in northern Italy but was largely dependent on the Wehrmacht to maintain control...
from 1943 to 1945, with the ISR often being called the "Republic of Salò" (Repubblica di Salò in Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
).
History
Salò was founded in the Roman period as Pagus Salodium and in the Middle AgesMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
became a stronghold of the Milanese Visconti
House of Visconti
Visconti is the family name of two important Italian noble dynasties of the Middle Ages. There are two distinct Visconti families: The first one in the Republic of Pisa in the mid twelfth century who achieved prominence first in Pisa, then in Sardinia where they became rulers of Gallura...
family. From 1440 the town came under the control of the Republic of Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
. Salò received the honorary title of city with a royal decree on December 15, 1860.
From 1943 to 1945 Salò was the de facto capital of Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
's Nazi
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
-backed puppet state
Puppet state
A puppet state is a nominal sovereign of a state who is de facto controlled by a foreign power. The term refers to a government controlled by the government of another country like a puppeteer controls the strings of a marionette...
, the Italian Social Republic
Italian Social Republic
The Italian Social Republic was a puppet state of Nazi Germany led by the "Duce of the Nation" and "Minister of Foreign Affairs" Benito Mussolini and his Republican Fascist Party. The RSI exercised nominal sovereignty in northern Italy but was largely dependent on the Wehrmacht to maintain control...
, also known as the Republic of Salò.
Main sights
- The Duomo (cathedralCathedralA cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
), rebuilt in late Gothic style in the 15th century. It has a noteworthy Renaissance portal, paintings by Zenone Veronese (16th century), a Polyptych of Paolo VenezianoPaolo VenezianoPaolo Veneziano, also Veneziano Paolo or Paolo da Venezia was a medieval painter from Venice. He has been called "the most important Venetian painter of the 14thcentury"....
's school and a Madonna and Saints by Romanino. - The Palazzo della Magnifica Patria ("Palace of the Magnificent Motherland", 16th century). The palace is home to the Historical Museum of the Azure Ribbon, an exhibition of documents on Renaissance history, on Italy's colonial wars, the Spanish Civil War and the Resistance against Fascism.
- The Communal Palace is the seat of the Civic Archaeological Museum, with findings from the ancient Salodium.