Marghera is a ''municipalità'' (borough) of the ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'' of

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. It includes the industrial area known as Porto Marghera (English: Marghera Port) or Venezia Porto Marghera.

Etymology

The name Marghera is said in popular myth to come from Venetian dialectal "Mar gh' era," meaning "There was the sea"; the original form, however, was Mergaria, whose origin is unclear.

History

At the beginning of the 20th century Venice's existing port at Bacino San Marco was incapable of servicing large modern ships. A new port was constructed at the western end of Venice at Stazione Marittima, but it became clear that if industry was developed in its immediate vicinity it would negatively impact on the historical city and tourism. As a result, by 1917 – during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

– the Italian government decided to develop an industrial zone and state-of-the-art port at Marghera on the mainland, opposite Venice and near the town of

Mestre Mestre () is a borough of the ''comune'' (municipality) of Venice, on the mainland opposite the historical island city in the region of Veneto, Italy. Administratively, Mestre forms (together with the nearby Carpenedo) the ''Municipalità di ...

. A major backer of the scheme was Count

Giuseppe Volpi Giuseppe Volpi, 1st Count of Misrata (19 November 1877 – 16 November 1947) was an Italian businessman and politician. Count Volpi developed utilities which brought electricity to Venice, northeast Italy, and the Balkans by 1903. In 1911� ...

. Development commenced in 1920, and for 10 years shipping channels were dredged, excavations and land reclamation took place. A residential area was constructed for the zone's workers. In 1923, the first chemical factory commenced production. The number of workers employed in the zone rose to 6000 by 1930, 16,000 by 1950 and 35,000 by 1970. In 1926 Marghera and Mestre were made a ''

frazione A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidate territ ...

'' under the control of the municipal government of Venice. By 1940, more than 60 factories were established at Marghera, and as a result during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Allied bombers targeted Porto Marghera. On May 15, 2020, a fire in a chemical plant producing cosmetics, including nail varnish remover, forced Venetians to stay indoors.

Population

The ''Municipalità di Marghera'', one of the six boroughs of Venice's comune, includes 30,000 inhabitants, with Marghera alone including 17,000 inhabitants.

Economy

The Enichem

fertilizer A fertilizer (American English) or fertiliser (British English; see spelling differences) is any material of natural or synthetic origin that is applied to soil or to plant tissues to supply plant nutrients. Fertilizers may be distinct from ...

company operates in Marghera.

Eagles Airlines Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, jus ...

had its head office in Marghera. 3V Sigma, part of the multinational Sigma corporation, has a chemical plant producing cosmetics in Porto Maghera; it had a chemical fire in May 2020.

References

Bibliography

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Frazioni of the Metropolitan City of Venice Geography of Venice Populated places established in 1917 1917 establishments in Italy 20th-century establishments in Venice