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Palmanova
- A fairy tale fortress
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| Old map of Palmanova |
The
small town and fortress of Palmanova was built as a Venetian military
outpost in 1593 to protect their empire from the Turks and Austrians.
The town has been a national monument since 1960.
Palmanova,
designed in a striking nine-pointed star shape, is located at the
crossroads of the Julia Augusta and Ungare highways in the lower
Friuli plains. Palmanova is fairy tale material. A protective wall
and moat surrounds the town, and three access gates open in the
directions of neighboring Udine, Cividale and Aquileia. At the town's
hub is the hexagonal Piazza Grande from which six streets emerge
like spokes in a wheel.
The
Jewish presence at Palmanova dates back to the late 1500s, around
the time that the town's fortress was constructed. Sources tell
about an inn run by Jews from San Vito al Tagliamento who also sold
textiles, an unusual trade for Jews at the time. Two of the innkeepers
were killed in a scuffle with soldiers in 1594.
Until
the mid-1600s, Palmanova's Jewish community led a relatively peaceful
existence. Jewish residents were never forced to wear any distinctive
clothing designed to separate them from the Catholic population,
such as the red cap or orange cord Jews in some other locations
wore. Eventually, new restrictions were imposed on the moneylenders,
drastically reducing their daily income. Jewish lenders were then
forced to use Venetian, rather than Hebrew, in their personal receipt
books. Finally, on April 23, 1664, the Jews were ordered to leave
Palmanova.
The
Jews continued running their lending services from across the border
in Hapsburg territory. A few years later, however, the Venetian
Senate approved the establishment of Catholic pawnbrokers - marking
the end of a Jewish financial presence in Palmanova.
Palmanova
was occupied by the French and later by Austrians, and only became
a part of independent Italy in 1866. Some 5,500 people now live
in Palmanova.
Related
links:
About
Palmanova
Museums
and accomodation in Palmanova
Palmanova
- Brief history and photos
Trieste
| Udine | Gorizia
| Cividale | Aquileia
| Grado | Palmanova
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