ARSENAL, History

Hi, I'm Ed, your personal guide. Together with MyWoWo, I'd like to welcome you to one of the wonders of the world.

Today I'll accompany you through the Arsenal, which is one of Venice's most fascinating historical sites!

If you're here at the Arsenal, it's probably because you came to the area to see the Biennale, and it's precisely this vicinity to the Biennale gardens that has given the the old industrial installations new life after decades of neglect and decay. The Arsenal occupies about 46 hectares in the sestiere, or district, named Castello: this is a huge area, especially in a city where, if you think about it, space is a precious commodity.

This boat production complex was established shortly after the year 1000, and became the most highly concentrated workforce throughout Europe, reaching approximately 3,000 employees. Just think, the Arsenal's chief engineer was the public official who received the highest salary of anyone working for the Republic of Venice. He was at the head of a perfect organization, and oversaw a process which began with the sending of wood from the forests and sawmills of the Dolomites and guaranteed the launch and maintenance of an extraordinary number of ships; Venetian engineers were constantly looking for new solutions to make ships evermore capacious, fast, and safe....