Praetorian Palace

From Culture.si




Contact

This logo is missing!

If you have it, please email it to us.

Pretorska palača
Titov trg 3, SI-6000 Koper-Capodistria
Phone386 (0) 5 664 6403




The Praetorian Palace is a Venetian Gothic palace, situated in old town centre of Koper. Located on the southern side of the main Tito Square, it houses the Koper-Capodistria Urban Municipality and a wedding hall. It is considered one of the town’s architectural landmarks. At the corner of the side façade there is a Venetian bocca del leone, a stony plate with an opening, which served for anonymous messages to the mayor.


History

The predecessor of the current town hall was erected in 1254. The original was lost during a major revolt in 1348, so the construction of the second Praetorian or Praetor's Palace continued until 1380, when it was destroyed again. Building of a new town hall started in 1452-3 when the left wing of the palace and the porch leading to the picturesque Calegaria (Čevljarska street) were erected. The right wing was completed in the 1480s and the beautiful balconied Renaissance 'Porta del Corte' was built in 1506, which connected the palace with the Foresteria, housing the University of Primorska.

During the Baroque period the 'Platea comunis' (main town square) acquired its present-day aspect, and the reconstruction of the Praetor's Palace facade in 1664 gave the palace a more sophisticated and harmonious appearance.

The palace lost much of its importance due to the fall of the Venetian Republic under the Napoleon regime in 1797. The Austrians moved the municipal seat to the Armeria Palace in the 19th century, and the palace continued to decay until 1968, when it was rehabilitated in situ.

Recent reconstruction works were undertaken by Koper-Capodistria Urban Municipality in 1991–2001 partly with funding from the Phare EU programme.

Premises

The Tito Square is one of the most harmonic squares in former Venetian Republic. It is surrounded by most important monuments of the 15th century, including Praetorian Palace, Armeria, and Foresteria Palace, a lodge and a Cathedral. It was a centre of Koper’s life throughout the history.

The palace consists of a porch and two wings. The main façade facing north is picturesque with many plaques, coat of arms and busts in niches built in. It is structured with a balcony and a stony stairs leading upwards to it, the gable is ended with mouchettes and stressed with the allegory statue of Justice. At the eastern wing façade a quadrifora is built in.

The venue functions both as a town hall and as a space for exhibitions and other cultural events co-ordinated by Koper-Capodistria Tourist Information Centre. The square is one of the spots of the Folkest Festival.

See also

External links

... more about "Praetorian Palace"
Pretorska palača +
45.548 +
Pretorska palača +
13.73 +
SI-6000 Koper-Capodistria +
Titov trg 3 +
The Praetorian Palace is a Venetian Gothic palace, situated in the old town centre of Koper. +
The Praetorian Palace is a Venetian Gothic palace, situated in the old town centre of Koper. +
+386 / 5 664 6403 +
Koper-Capodistria +
SI-6000 +
EmailThis property is a special property in this wiki.