Among institutions devoted to culture in Milan is the 17th-century
Palazzo di Brera, which houses the Brera Academy of Fine Arts, a library,
and the Brera Art Gallery. The Palazzo dell'Ambrosiana houses the Biblioteca
Ambrosiana, which was opened in 1609 and was perhaps the first public library
in Europe. Milan also has excellent museums of art, historical events,
and natural history; the Institute for the Study of International Politics;
the world-famous Teatro alla Scala opera house; a noted conservatory of
music; and several universities.
Commerce and Manufacturing
Milan leads Italian cities in the manufacture of chemicals and textiles.
Other important products include aircraft, automobiles, foodstuffs, clothing,
glass, leather and rubber goods, machinery, pharmaceuticals, and plastics.
The city has a large book and music publishing industry, many banks, and
the principal stock exchange of Italy. An international trade fair is held
annually in Milan in April.
History
Ancient Mediolanum is believed to have been founded by a Celtic people.
Captured by the Romans in 222 BC, it flourished under the Roman Empire
and became the residence of the emperors of the West in the 4th century
AD. The city was sacked by the Huns under Attila in about 450 and was destroyed
by the Goths in 539. By the end of the 8th century the city had begun to
prosper again. During the Middle Ages, Milan was governed by a number of
archbishops, under whom the city had a certain degree of independence.
The archbishops, however, gradually lost their temporal power to the lower
feudal nobility, who transformed Milan into a prosperous commune in the
11th century. In 1162 Milan was razed by troops under Emperor Frederick
I. The city recovered sufficiently to help secure the victory (1176) of
the Lombard League over Frederick near Legnano. The victory opened a new
period of prosperity. In 1277 a noble family, the Visconti, succeeded in
wresting control of the city from the ruling Della Torre family; the Visconti
ruled until 1447. The reign of Gian Galeazzo Visconti, 1st duke of Milan
(1351-1402), was a particularly prosperous period and was regarded as a
golden age. In 1450 the Italian soldier Francesco Sforza seized power and
founded a line that remained firmly in control of Milan until 1500, when
the city was conquered by France. The Sforzas continued to rule as puppets
of successive foreign invaders, including the French, the Swiss, and the
Austrians. The Sforza line died out in 1535, and soon thereafter Milan
came under the rule of Spain. Spain ruled until 1713, when the city was
ceded to Austria by the terms of the Peace of Utrecht. Napoleon ousted
the Austrians in 1796 and made Milan the capital of the Cisalpine Republic.
Restored to Austria in 1815, Milan became a center of Italian patriotic
resistance, and in 1848 it briefly expelled the Austrians. In 1859, the
Italians, aided by the French, freed Milan from Austrian control. In 1861
Milan joined the kingdom of Italy and subsequently prospered. During World
War II it was heavily bombed. In the postwar period Milan experienced great
commercial expansion and urban renewal. Population (1991) 1,369,231. |
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