The Arsenal (Italian: Arsenale) of Venice is located in the sestiere Castello. In the heyday of the Venetian Empire, this shipyard, built in 1104, was one of the most important parts of the city. The Arsenal managed to deliver one ship daily in those days. During the famous Biennale, the Arsenal is used as an exhibition space.
Arsenal Venice
Address, opening hours and entrance fee
Address: Castello, 30122 Venezia, Italy. Telephone: +39 0412412020. Public transportation: Vaporetto: Line: 1, 4.1, 4.2, B, VA (stop: Arsenale). Line: 1, 2, 6, 8, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 5.2, N, VA (stop: Giardini). Opening hours: To visit the Arsenal one needs a special permission. For this, one can call +39 0415224048. Entrance fee: Unknown.
History and description
The word Arsenale means shipyard in Arabic, and it is thought (probably correctly) that this is the origin of the name.
In 1320, the Arsenale Nuovo was built. Previously, only a few boats were manufactured there, but the New Arsenal developed into a kind of mass production site of warships, and later, merchant ships.
The Venice Arsenal was one of the first places where a kind of assembly line system was designed.
The entrance to the Arsenal is called the Porta Magna and was built in 1460. It has been guarded by two, originally Greek, marble lions since 1692. On one of them, Scandinavian mercenaries made notches referring to a war against Athens fought in 1040.
By the 16th century, production was so well established that the 16,000 men who worked there could deliver almost one ship a day.
During the Biennale, the Arsenale becomes an exhibition space.
A number of historic Venetian boats are always docked there.
Together with the shipbuilding, related industries also developed. The rope industry rose to a high level, while several firearms were also designed in Venice.