 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Murano" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(November 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
 Rio dei Vetrai, Murano (2015) | |
  Murano | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 45°27′27″N12°21′13″E / 45.45750°N 12.35361°E /45.45750; 12.35361 |
| Adjacent to | Venetian Lagoon |
| Administration | |
| Region | Veneto |
| Province | Province of Venice |
Murano is a series of islands linked by bridges in theVenetian Lagoon, northernItaly. It lies about 1.5 km (1 mi) north ofVenice and measures about 1.5 km (1 mi) across with a population of just over 5,000 (2004 figures).[1] It is famous for itsglass making. It was once an independentcomune, but is now afrazione of thecomune ofVenice.
Murano was initially settled by theRomans and from the sixth century by people fromAltinum andOderzo. At first, the island prospered as afishing port and through its production ofsalt. It was also a centre for trade through the port it controlled onSant'Erasmo. From the eleventh century, it began to decline as islanders moved toDorsoduro. It had aGrand Council, like that of Venice, but from the thirteenth century, Murano was ultimately governed by apodestà from Venice. Unlike the other islands in theLagoon, Murano minted its own coins.
Early in the second millennium hermits of theCamaldolese Order occupied one of the islands, seeking a place of solitude for their way of life. There they founded theMonastery of St. Michael (Italian:S. Michele di Murano). This monastery became a great center of learning and printing. The famouscartographer,Fra Mauro, whose maps were crucial to the European exploration of the world, was amonk of this community. The monastery wassuppressed in 1810 byFrench forces underNapoleon, in the course of their conquest of theItalian peninsula, and themonks were expelled in 1814. The grounds then became Venice's major cemetery.
In 1291, all theglassmakers in Venice were required to move to Murano.[2] In the following century,exports began, and the island became famous, initially forglass beads andmirrors.Aventurine glass was invented on the island, and for a while Murano was the main producer of glass in Europe. The island later became known forchandeliers. Although decline set in during the eighteenth century, glassmaking is still the island's main industry.
In the fifteenth century, the island became popular as aresort for Venetians, andpalaces were built, but this later declined. The countryside of the island was known for itsorchards andvegetable gardens until the nineteenth century, when more housing was built.
Attractions on the island include theChurch of Santa Maria e San Donato (known for its twelfth-centuryByzantinemosaic pavement and said to house the bones of thedragon slain bySaint Donatus in the 4th century), thechurch of San Pietro Martire with the chapel of the Ballarin family built in 1506 and artworks byGiovanni Bellini, and thePalazzo da Mula. Glass-related attractions include the many glassworks, someMediaeval and most open to the public, and theMurano Glass Museum, housed in the largePalazzo Giustinian.
Murano's reputation as a center for glassmaking was born when theVenetian Republic, fearing fire and the destruction of the city's mostly wooden buildings, ordered glassmakers to move their furnaces to Murano in 1291.Murano glass is still associated withVenetian glass.
Murano's glassmakers were soon numbered among the island's most prominent citizens. By the fourteenth century, glassmakers were allowed to wear swords, enjoyed immunity from prosecution by the Venetian state and found their daughters married into Venice's most affluent families. While benefiting from certain statutory privileges, glassmakers were forbidden to leave the Republic. However, many of them took the risks associated with migration and established glass furnaces in surrounding cities and farther afield — sometimes in England and the Netherlands.
Murano's glassmakers held a monopoly on high-quality glassmaking for centuries, developing or refining many technologies including optically clearglass, enamelled glass (smalto), glass with threads of gold (aventurine), multicolored glass (millefiori), milk glass (lattimo), and imitation gemstones made of glass. Today, the artisans of Murano still employ these centuries-old techniques, crafting everything from contemporary art glass and glass jewellery to Murano glass chandeliers and wine stoppers.
Venice kept protecting the secret of the production of glass and of crystal but, notwithstanding it, the Republic partially lost its monopoly at the end of the sixteenth century, because of some glass makers who let the secret be known in many European countries.
Today, Murano is home to the Museo del Vetro orMurano Glass Museum in the Palazzo Giustinian, which holds displays on the history of glassmaking as well as glass samples ranging from Egyptian times through the present day.[3]
Some of the companies that own historical glass factories in Murano are among the most important brands of glass in the world. These companies include Venini, Alessandro MandruzzatoFerro Murano,Barovier & Toso, Simone Cenedese[1] andSeguso. To protect the original Murano Glass art from foreign markets, the most famous Glass Factories of this island have a trademark that certifies glass made products on the island of Murano.
The oldest Murano glass factory that is still active today is that ofPauly & C. – Compagnia Venezia Murano, founded in 1866.
As part of a broader view of protection and enhancement of typical and traditional Veneto product manufacturing and marketing, the Veneto Region protects and promotes the designation of origin of artistic glassworks created on the island of Murano, since glasswork is an inherent part of Venetian historical and cultural heritage.
The "Vetro Artistico Murano" trademark, filed and registered at theEuropean Office for Harmonisation in Alicante, no. 00481812, has been established and is regulated byRegional Law no. 70, 1994.
In the seventeenth century, the Murano-born Simone Giuseppe Belotti (in Polish, Szymon Józef Bellotti) became Royal Architect to theKing of Poland and took part in designing some ofWarsaw's most important landmarks (pl:Józef Szymon Bellotti). Thepalace he built for himself was named after his native island, "Muranów" — a Polish pronunciation of "Murano". This palace eventually gave its name to the entire surrounding district.Muranów was and remains one of Warsaw's most well known areas, especially associated with the city's Jewish history.
Murano is composed of seven islands in theVenetian Lagoon, linked by bridges over eight channels.
Weakness in the economy has affected Murano but some 260 companies remain in operation, employing 1,100 staff members (2016 data) and the island receives numerous tourists.[4][5]
On 8 July 1797 was published the first comprehensive history book"Notizie Istorico-geografiche Murano", 1797. about the history of Murano.
