Campanile - the clock tower
It took the impressing amount of 100.000 lumbers, driven into the lagoons ground, to prepare the basement for the campanile at the St. Marcus Square.
Nevertheless, it happened at sunday the 13th of july in 1902: The tower crackled! In wise providence the sourrounding areas were cleared, and only one day later the whole building came down.
As through a miracle, and Venice has had plenty of them, no one (except the cat of the concierge) was hurt, not even the surrounding buildings were damaged.
For rebuilding the tower a rich american kindly donated the unminor amount of a half million gold-Lira (corresponding 1 million € nowadays). At the 25th of april 1912, practically the same day as they set the cornerstone in 912, the old new Campanile was inaugurated. Thanks to wise venecian providence even with an elevator!
The most famous clock is called Marangona. If you hear its chimes at Mardi Gras you know: Carneval is now over.
Small anecdote apart:
It is the very campanile that once was climbed by horse by Emperor Frederick III (needless to say that the elevator was still to come). He did so because he got mad of the Doge who had the brashness to recive him from upon the stairs in the Doge Palace - so the Emperor had to climb up to the Doge (who had the lower rank).
Annoyed of this mistaken symbolism Frederick rushed the tower to look down on the Doge, symbolically cutting him down to real size, and setting things back to a more appropriate proportion.
mehr von der Adria - seit 2005
