On 20 December 1577, a fire began in a soot-filled chimney inside Venice's Doge's Palace. Flames entered the timber roof above the Hall of the Scrutiny, melted its lead covering and spread into the enormous Hall of the Great Council. Both ceilings collapsed, destroying paintings by some of Venice's greatest artists and threatening the neighbouring Basilica of St Mark, Mint and library. Arsenal workers used ropes, water and their shipyard skills to contain the blaze, while officials rescued weapons, papers and valuables. The palace itself did not completely collapse, but the disaster devastated the political heart of the Venetian Republic. This episode follows the fire from its ordinary cause through the emergency response, the architectural debate and the remarkable reconstruction that created many of the rooms visitors see today.
Podden och tillhörande omslagsbild på den här sidan tillhör
Compact Disasters. Innehållet i podden är skapat av Compact Disasters och inte av,
eller tillsammans med, Poddtoppen.
